When Is Back Surgery Necessary?

 There are several options available to people who suffer from back pain. Whether it is due to a spinal injury that occurred because of an accident or due to a natural degeneration of the spinal cord or herniated disk, there are many options to choose to help you. The first treatment usually prescribed is physiotherapy and drug treatment. If that is unable to relieve the pain and other symptoms associated with spinal problems, back surgery is then considered.

Back surgery is usually a last resort when it comes to treating spinal pain and injuries. However, it is sometimes unavoidable.  Several common spinal conditions may require spine surgery.  Sciatica is a common back problem.  People suffering from this condition often find they are unable to find back pain relief from non-surgical treatment.  With this condition, the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back spinal region down into the thighs and upper legs is one of the largest nerves in the human body, is pinched. When this nerve is pinched it can result in sharp, stabbing pains going from the lower back region down into the legs. Sometimes other more serious symptoms such as numbness is also present. This medical condition is usually caused by a herniated disk, which normally sits between two back vertebrae becomes herniated and presses against the sciatic nerve. 

Spinal stenosis is another common spinal condition that is often helped by back surgery. A narrowing of the spinal canal, an opening through which the spinal nerves pass, causes it. If this becomes narrowed due to disease, injury or natural degeneration the nerves become irritated and pinched, and back pain ensues. If the stenosis cannot be altered by non-surgical treatment such as physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, the wearing of braces or prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery may be the only option.

As with any type of surgery that is performed under general anesthesia there are risks involved. However, these can be minimized by careful pre-operative preparation of the patient and proper post-operative care and therapy. For example, patients who are overweight will be encouraged to lose weight prior to surgery. Any other medical conditions the patient may be suffering from will also need to be under control and in general, the patient should be deemed to be in good health.  

After surgery, regular physiotherapy will be given until the patient is able to walk on his or her own. They will be expected to continue with exercises that help to strengthen their back muscles without over taxing their spine or spinal cord.

Usually most patients who undergo surgery find that it does alleviate a lot of their pain and usually enables them to walk much more easily than before they were operated on. How much relief is gained is dependent on how damaged the nerves were prior to the operative procedure taking place. For example, if irreparable nerve damage was sustained some pain may still occur or there may still be some numbness in parts of the body. However, in most cases, there is at least some relief from pain and improved body functions.

Back pain can be extremely debilitating.  Not only is the pain often very intense due to the nerves that are involved, but movement is often severely restricted yet bed rest or total cessation of movement may bring little relief. Typically, treatments such as physiotherapy, the prescription of pain relief and anti inflammatory drugs and even alternative treatments such as acupuncture are tried first.  However if these non-invasive treatments for back pain do not alleviate the problem, surgery is usually then considered.