Empathy and Compassion: The Journey from Spine Patient to Provider with Physician Assistant Lindsay Howard

What happens when the doctor becomes the patient? In the first episode in this new series, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia discusses personal back care journeys with some of his esteemed colleagues.

On this episode, he talks with Lindsey Howard, PA-C, a physician assistant in the physiatry department at Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Care. Her spine care journey began with scoliosis. 

When she was 12, she was diagnosed with scoliosis during a routine school screening for the condition. Her spinal curve was 40 degrees and quickly progressed to 72 degrees. Her doctor recommended surgery or, he told her parents, she likely wouldn’t live past age 30.

She hadn’t experienced much pain, only discomfort, from her scoliosis, but she remembers some of her post-op pain clearly. It’s helped her become more empathetic with patients.  

“The resident was trying to peel off the bandage on my back — that was very painful,” she said. “So now when I remove bandages, I'm very, very sensitive to that for patients.” 

Thankfully, surgery allowed her to get back to a sporty lifestyle and allowed her to be a cheerleader in high school. And the experience as a whole inspired her to work in medicine. 

Originally, her plan was to go to medical school, with the goal of helping other girls who suffered from similar issues. But she ended up becoming a physician assistant because she liked to spend more time with patients in their care transitions. 

Tune in to this episode of Back Talk Doc to hear more of Lindsey’s story with scoliosis and how she uses that difficult experience to be a better care provider today.

💡 Featured Expert 💡

Name: Lindsey Howard, MPAS, PA-C

What she does: Lindsey has been a physician assistant with Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates since she graduated in 2013. She works in the physiatry department with Drs. Wiercisiewski and Sumich. 

Company: Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates 

Words of wisdom: “The main reason I got into this is because I don't want anybody to ever feel [alone]. I think whenever you go through a major illness or any major medical issue, you can sometimes feel really alone.” 

Connect: Website |  LinkedIn

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Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit ou