If you are considering back surgery, PLEASE make sure you do your research and exhaust all options first.

Surgery isn’t all bad but you can always have surgery, but once you’ve had it done, you cannot undo it!

Here are 5 reasons your surgery may fail…

Wrong Diagnosis

Everyone who has a spine has some form of arthritic changes. If you go based on this, then everyone would need surgery. Arthritis is actually a normal form of aging but they don’t tell you that! If we use this as our deciding factor, rather than what is actually happening to your lower back, then you are sure to have the wrong diagnosis and likely get surgery unnecessarily.

Surgical Complications

It should be no surprise that lower back surgery and everything all has its risks and rewards. Surgical complications can happen and there can be side effects such as infections, hitting/nicking the nerve, and sometimes, they can be irreversible. Conservative treatment has significantly fewer risks and phenomenal outcomes! Again, make sure you have exhausted all options before considering surgery.

Collateral Damage & Scar Tissue

One of the biggest problems I see is a patient having a good diagnosis and a good surgeon, but still having pain after the surgery! This is often caused by collateral damage which means that the main problem is taken care of (for the most part) but in the surgical process, they also affect other healthy tissue. This can also create irritation and scar tissue surrounding the spine, nerves, fascia, and muscles. It’s worth noting that scar tissue can form months after surgery and can lead to progressive symptoms. This is one reason why you see patients say, “I felt great coming out of surgery, and 6 weeks later, I started to have some pain again.”

MRI & Images Don’t Tell The Full Story

MRIs and X-rays only show the blueprint of your spine or structure. They do not tell you anything about the function. As stated before, this can lead to a wrong diagnosis and there is a lot of evidence that states that people with a disc bulge, herniation, or arthritis, do not always have pain and vice versa. Imaging needs to be correlated with your pain, and exam findings. As you age, you will see conditions such as arthritis in the spine increase so this should be expected. Imaging should be used as a tool, not as a definitive diagnosis.

Surgery is a business

Let’s face it, healthcare is a business and there is a lot of money in lower back pain procedures. The average surgery costs about $60,000. Those who pretend that there are no financial gains, opportunity costs, and kickbacks are naive. Now, this is not always the case but back surgery should not be considered unless its a medical emergency or you have really tried EVERYTHING.

In all consideration, I have seen all aspects of these and the research states that only 3% of people will need invasive procedures and/or surgery. This means that 97% of people will have success with some form of therapy and rehab! Again, it’s worth putting the work in now, and if you end up needing surgery, you’ll be as strong as possible going in and coming out.

KEEP MOVING
Dr. Josh

PS. I would absolutely love to help you and if you are ready to get back to your old self, then you should set up a FREE Discovery Session Now!

You’ll get the chance to come in, ask us any questions you have, and get a free screening to see if we can help. Yes, it’s free.