If you are troubled by back pain, you are not alone. Almost 83 per cent of people at some point in their lives have suffered from back or neck pain. Back pain lasting for 4 to 6 weeks is common which usually only requires physiotherapy and oral medicines. Only a chronic pain with signs of nerve compression requires surgery.
So, if you’re living with a severe back or neck pain and your doctor has suggested you a surgery, here are few things you should keep in your mind before going in for the procedure. Remember that 95 per cent of spine problems do not require a surgical intervention. There is a good possibility that you can ease your back pain without undergoing a surgery at all. For most acute pains, few days of bed rest with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) medication and muscle relaxants are sufficient. In the follow-up period, physiotherapy in the form of exercises, heat and massage therapy can cure up to 95 per cent of patients. Continuation of exercises throughout the life for prevention and recurrence of back pain is strongly recommended.
When is a surgery essential?
Your surgeon may suggest you to undergo a spine surgery only if you have severe pain in your back or neck not responding to 6 weeks of conservative treatment or a sign of nerve irritation progressing towards paralysis. But it can be due to slipped disc pressing on to a nerve or spinal cord compression due to enlarged bone and joints because of arthritis. Rarely surgery might be required for treating a spinal fracture or a tumour in the spinal cord. Other similar conditions of the spine where surgery is a must are infections causing bone damage and conditions in spine leading to sexual problems. Always remember, discussing your condition with a spine surgeon does not mean you’re saying ‘yes’ to a surgery. Instead, it’s a chance to learn more about your treatment options and understand your disease.
Invasive pain management
There exists a third option too: It’s a midway between surgery and conservative treatment. Known in the medical fraternity as invasive pain management, it includes thermal ablation of selective pain generators in the spine or reducing the inflammation (thus symptoms) in a particular nerve with local injections. These are 20 minute-procedures done under local anaesthesia and the patient can go home pain-free in an hour.
When to go for a spine surgery?
Conservative treatment for 6 weeks before deciding for surgery is recommended. This gives the patient a chance to see if his body can heal naturally. If things don’t improve in 6 weeks, then we move to the second step where spinal injections and radio-frequency ablation of pain-triggering points are performed. In the process of radio-frequency ablation of pain-triggering points, nerves that carry the pain sensation to the brain are burnt. The only absolute indication that you require surgery sooner than later or as an emergency is this: There is a severe pain which doesn’t subside with medicines or there are neurological symptoms like paralysis.
I always recommend my patients to think well before opting for surgery and even take a second opinion from another expert. Surgery should always be a joint decision between the patient and the surgeon. Also, the patient should understand all the benefits and risks of any proposed surgical intervention. To conclude, my advice to everyone is to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes nutrient-rich diet, weight control and regular exercises. It can lower your chances of suffering from back/neck pain and thus help you avoid surgery.