Back Surgery VS Non Surgical Methods: A Closer Look Part-2 of 3

If you are faced with the unfortunate decision of weather to have back surgery or to begin or continue a conservative course of treatment such as chiropractic or physical therapy, read on. For starters, If you choose to avoid surgery and continue exercise and manipulation in the form of chiropractic, there are a lot of factors to consider. For our purposes we will consider a disc herniation as the injury in question. Up at the top of the list is treating the injury as quickly as possible without causing further injury to the effected area. Another area of concern is medication. Here is where your situation could become sticky. For instance; If you are being treated by an M.D. such as an Orthopedic Physician, typically you will be given a course of oral steroids to reduce swelling. You could also be given oral pain medication to reduce pain. You could also be prescribed physical therapy along with the other two methods of treatment we just mentioned. If you are lucky, these methods alone will provide the right combination to get you up and running again within a few weeks. Let’s take a look at the other side of the coin.

Consequently, it is easily conceivable that you could do further damage to your already injured disc by attempting physical therapy while masking pain with powerful oral medications. There is a fine line between getting better and becoming injured even further. In contrast, there are some of us who would rather walk on hot coals all day long rather than take pain medication or have back surgery. If you happen to be one of these individuals who choose to treat with a chiropractor, you could possibly try Decompression Therapy. In theory, Decompression Therapy can provide the injured disc with blood and nutrients which can help the healing process. Additionally, decompression can help to create a “negative” pressure on the injured disc and help the herniated portion of the disc to retract just enough to back off of the nerve that is being aggravated. This along with Ultrasound, Electric Stimulation and Ice could be the answer. Another treatment that is gaining popularity is M.U.A. or Manipulation Under Anesthesia. In this procedure, the body is adjusted to levels that would be too difficult if someone were awake and their muscles were tense. Although controversial, this procedure has it’s advocates.

In either case, there are pros and cons to each method. The question is: What is right for you?

These methods of treatment that we have just discussed are regularly practiced with much success on both sides. There are many sufferers of back injuries who have been successfully treated both from conventional and alternative methods.

Discuss all of the methods of treatment available to you with your medical professional and make an informed and confident decision either way.

In Part-3 we will discuss further treatment such as Epidural Injections, Killing Nerve Endings and Surgical Procedures.