• World Neurosurg · Nov 2023

    Showing Some Spine on Reddit: Neurosurgical Spinal Cord Conditions in Adults.

    • Jocelyn To, Victoria Jane Horak, Donia Momen, KolcunJohn Paul GJPGDivision of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Sandi Lam, and Jeffrey S Raskin.
    • Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois, USA.
    • World Neurosurg. 2023 Nov 1; 179: e467e473e467-e473.

    BackgroundA crowdsourcing resource used by patients with spinal disease has yet to be thoroughly investigated: the Internet. One such platform is Reddit, a virtual, anonymous meeting place. Analyzing how patients use spinal condition "subreddits" may enable a greater understanding of the questions that patients do not ask their doctors.MethodsUp to 50 posts in each subreddit's "hot" tab were retroactively screened from June 1, 2022. Posts written by those who had the condition or those interested in knowing more were included. Redditors self-identifying as younger than 18 years were excluded. Posts were subcategorized into questions related to social advice, health advice, providing health education or suggesting equipment, detailing their personal experience, or researchers recruiting patients for research.ResultsEight subreddits with 398 posts were identified related to spinal conditions, including scoliosis, herniated disks, spondylolisthesis, kyphosis, spina bifida, and degenerative disk disease, and 2 subreddits for spinal cord injury. Most patients sought out health advice (59.8%), specifically related to questions regarding their treatments (33.6%), followed by social advice (14.1%) relating to activities in their daily lives. Six posts from the spinal cord injury subreddits discussed the inability to achieve or maintain an erection.DiscussionPatients with spinal conditions congregate on Reddit. Analysis of subreddits allows for a more robust fund of knowledge, granting providers an opportunity to address the main health concerns of patients and caregivers.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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