When back pain has become an overwhelming part of a person’s life, avoiding back surgery with chiropractic care can be a safe option to consider.
According to the Global Burden of Disease, “low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide” (thelancet.com/gdb, 2015). In fact, back pain is so relevant in the United States that nearly half of all working Americans experience back pain at least once a year. Consequently, Americans spend approximately $50 billion per year on costs associated with back pain, which includes back surgery according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).
Doctors have described the best type of back surgery as the type a person doesn’t have to receive. Depending on a person’s condition, the recuperation period from back surgery can involve months of therapy and heavy doses of pain medications. If there are complications with the surgery or if an infection arises from the wound, then a person can expect more medication on top of the pain medication. Essentially, the increased medication usage will eventually lead to other types of complications with health including addiction, liver problems, and increased blood pressure among others.
However, when a person experiences excruciating back pain for weeks, months, or years, then they are willing to try anything to rid themselves of the pain. That’s why making the healthiest decision can be so difficult.
If you are suffering from chronic back pain and are looking for alternatives to back surgery, depending on your condition, a chiropractor may be able to help you find some relief. Contact your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today and see if they can help you avoid back surgery.
Chiropractic care is a nonsurgical option that has helped tens of thousands of people avoid back surgery. For conditions like sciatica and herniated disc among many others, depending on the severity of the condition, spinal decompression and chiropractic adjustments can help relieve the pain. Locate a chiropractor near you today.
The biggest difference between spinal surgery and a spinal adjustment is the amount of time spent away from work. With an estimated 600,000 people who receive back surgery every year in the United States, the majority of patients have spent more time away from work than originally planned, approximately 41 percent have an increased use of pain medication, and approximately 26 percent had to return for a secondary procedure according to clinical studies published on Spine Journal (thespinejournalonline.com, 2016).
A surgical procedure on the back that fails to accomplish its intended purpose is known as failed back surgery syndrome. This term is not necessarily a “syndrome” but it is used to categorize the pain and condition a patient feels after the surgery was unsuccessful. Patients with this condition will often feel the same symptoms they had before surgery. As a consequence, patients with failed back surgery syndrome have experienced back spasms, numbness in various parts of the body, sharp pains, and even issues with mental health.
Recently, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) published a study on their website where the researchers indicated that approximately 43 percent of worker’s comp cases that involved back injuries ended with back surgery after initially being examined by a surgeon. Interestingly, only 1.5 percent of worker’s comp cases ended with back surgery after initially being examined by a chiropractor. Although this statistic doesn’t suggest that all surgeons want to perform a surgery for the sake of surgery, it demonstrates the relevance of back surgery among patients who sought chiropractic care. Those who were treated by a chiropractor first, we less likely to receive back surgery.
Here are a few tips from the ACA about how to prevent back pain:
- Maintain a healthy diet and weight.
- Remain active—under the supervision of your doctor of chiropractic.
- Avoid prolonged inactivity or bed rest.
- Warm up or stretch before exercising or physical activities, such as gardening.
- Maintain proper posture.
- Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
- Sleep on a mattress of medium firmness to minimize any curve in your spine.
- Lift with your knees, keep the object close to your body, and do not twist when lifting.
- Work with your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that your computer workstation is ergonomically correct.
If you are suffering from chronic back pain and are looking for alternatives to back surgery, depending on your condition, a chiropractor may be able to help you find some relief. Contact your local chiropractor to schedule an appointment today and avoid back surgery. Find a local chiropractor near you by clicking here.