Consider this: Do you want a quick fix? Someone to look at your problem, take it off your hands,…read moreand make the decisions for you? Dr. Salinas is probably not your guy. He and his staff will stress-test your willingness to understand and participate in one of the most significant medical events of your life. He listens. He explains. He repeats himself. He expects questions. And he expects you to understand not only what he recommends, but why.
Dr. Salinas has a rare gift: You are his responsibility. That distinction is why I would choose him again.
I showed up with an old MRI. My primary doctor said it showed substantial degeneration at L4-L5 and I need a neurosurgeon to look at this. I eventually went to see him. What I did not get from Dr. Salinas was a quick look at the films followed by, "Yes, there's the problem. When would you like to schedule surgery?"
He looked deeper, found S1 nerve damage. Then, he listened.
My family's experience with spine surgery began in 1961, when my mother underwent surgery to remove a spinal tumor and was left paralyzed from the waist down. I wasn't afraid of doctors, but I possessed a lifetime of respect for what can happen when someone operates near the spinal cord. Avoid at all costs was my mantra.
Dr. Salinas insisted on conservative options first--physical therapy, injections, and time. Surgery came only after those avenues had been exhausted and the clinical evidence pointed squarely there.
Then some important things happened after the operation: his relentless communication. He repeats important instructions. His staff prepares me thoroughly. Questions get answered. Details get revisited. Before surgery, that seemed excessive. During recovery, when you are tired, medicated, and trying to remember a dozen protocols at once, you discover exactly why he does it.
Then, I couldn't believe what happened next. On the third day after surgery, I contacted his answering service about a possible complication. Dr. Salinas was out of the country at the time. Yet, it was Dr. Salinas who responded directly to me with an answer--not a weekend on-call doctor.
The next day, another issue developed. The hospital's discharge instructions conflicted with his specific protocol. He answered my texts directly, then bypassed messaging entirely and called me, considering the matter too important for text.
His message was uncompromising: Nurses, PAs, MAs, and other hospital staff may participate in my care, but he alone is responsible for my health and recovery. I was to follow his instructions. That rare gift.
Dr. Salinas brings more than elite surgical skill--though his educational pedigree is impressive. He brings something rarer to the operating room: judgment before surgery, fierce ownership afterward, and a refusal to delegate his accountability in between. Since I first reached out after surgery, he has called me daily, sometimes twice. It is still a work in progress. He's repeated that many times.
When you are facing spinal surgery, you don't just need a pair of talented hands. You need a surgeon who views your outcome as his personal obligation. That is who Dr. Salinas is.
