Dealing with back pain by itself is difficult enough, but many people also suffer from issues related to nerves surrounding the spine and connected muscles. If you are one of those people who must go through multiple issues at once and not just back pain, surgery may be necessary. The bad news is that, if left untreated, chronic back pain can cause harm physically and emotionally robbing you of your ability to function effectively and lead a good life. The good news is that countless people who have undergone surgery for chronic back pain have faced down all of their symptoms and come out successfully.
Now the big question to be asked here is: when should you consider surgery as an option? The answer is, it depends on your health condition and severity of the symptoms associated with spinal injury or deformity. As such, most doctors don’t recommend surgery for mild pain because there is always risk associated with any surgery. In general, you should consider surgery when the benefits of going under the knife outweighs the risks involved.
It is normal to experience back pain or lose some of the mobility when your body ages. However, if your pain is so unbearable that it is keeping you from doing your daily chores or enjoying life as it is, there may be something else going on inside your body. These issues can be resolved with surgery or other relevant treatment options suggested by your treating physician. Chronic back pain or spinal issue is not simply a case of mild back pain added twice; it is one multiplied multiple times. This makes the pain worse and takes a toll on your quality of life. In essence, if you have tried other nonsurgical approach to curing your pain and the condition seems to get worse by time, surgery may help.
A good physician or surgeon who can treat back pain or perform surgery have all the time and patience in presenting to you the best available options. Make informed decision when choosing one treatment plan over another. Most surgeons try to avoid surgery as much as possible and only perform it when no other options are viable. Additionally, surgery may be necessary if your condition is worsening rather than you feeling better after one or more treatments. For instance, osteoporosis is a progressive spinal condition that tend to worsen overtime. Your treating surgeon will monitor your condition over a period of a year before prescribing surgery. Check out Joshua S. Rovner, MD – Progressive Spine & Orthopaedics for more information.
Note that surgery is inevitable for certain spinal conditions. Many spinal deformities such as kyphosis and scoliosis, although can be cured at an early stage, may require surgery later. Another reason to undergo surgery for spine is if there is a problem with nerves surrounding the spine. If this is the case, and it is left untreated, you may end up disabled. Symptoms such as numbness in any part of the body, failing organ, inconsistency in bladder and bowel movement should be brought to the attention of the treating physician immediately.