Is Back Surgery Necessary?

Many people complain about backaches. Backaches can be the result of weak core or back muscles, excess weight, hereditary issues, nerve damage or car accidents that injured the body. For some of these people, backaches are not something that can simply be dealt with and begin to cause debilitating pain.

When there is severe pain, desperation to treat and cure the pain sets in. We look to doctors for their expert guidance in what to do to alleviate the back issues. In some circumstances, doctors will advise surgery to the back

According to an article in the New York Times, the surgery might not be more effective than other options.

They use the example of spinal fusion, an operation that welds together adjacent vertebrae to relieve back pain from worn-out discs, which found that the surgery was no better than alternative nonsurgical treatments, like supervised exercise and therapy to help patients deal with their fear of back pain. In both groups, the pain usually diminished or went away, according to the clinical trials mentioned in this article.

Spinal fusion rates still soared after the research came to light. Other operations for the back seem to have similar results of still being recommended to patients when the operation shows minimal pain relief.

Surgery is invasive and can have negative consequences. It is hard to tell these days if a doctor is telling you to get a procedure that is in your best interest or the best interest of their wallet.

If you have had surgery with complications, please call our office. We have helped many back surgery patients who have suffered more pain as a result of their doctor’s advice. It can be complicated, but we are here to help.