Spinal Surgery

Are You Considering Spinal Surgery

If you are considering spinal surgery, consider research published by the journal Spine.

It is estimated that nearly 600,000 Americans choice spinal surgeries each year.

A 2010 study in the journal Spine shows that in many cases surgery can even backfire, leaving patients in more pain.

Researchers looked at records from 1,450 patients in the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation system with diagnoses of disc degeneration, disc herniation or radiculopathy, a nerve condition that causes tingling and weakness of the limbs. Half of the patients had surgery to fuse two or more vertebrae in an attempt to cure low back pain. The other half had no surgery, even though they had comparable diagnoses.

After just two years, only 26 percent of those who had surgery returned to work. That’s compared to 67 percent of patients who didn’t have surgery. The most troubling finding in the study, researchers determined that there was a 41 percent increase in the use of painkillers, specifically opiates, in the group that had surgery.

The study shows clear evidence that for many patients, fusion surgeries designed to alleviate pain from degenerating discs don’t work, according to the study’s lead author Dr. Trang Nguyen, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

If you or a loved one is considering spinal surgery, check out our non-surgical disc treatment here or here.

Our evaluation process will determine if you are a candidate for the treatment program. If you are a spinal disc decompression candidate, treatment can usually begin that day or within a few days.

Non-surgical decompression is a generally comfortable treatment and patients either fall asleep or watch a TV program.

While results vary according to your ability to follow directions, typically a 50% increase in disc space is seen.

 

cervical lumbar DRX9000
DRX-9000 combo unit

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