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FREE REPORTWhy Back Surgery is Risky
Why Back Surgery is Risky | Non-Surgical Spine Care Center in Bellevue
Spine Surgery is the Second leading surgical procedure in America, with the total number in the U.S. approaching 500,000 per year. About 150,000 of those surgeries are spinal fusions. Unfortunately, 50 percent of all surgical patients will fail to gain desired outcome. In fact, 10 percent of patients will be worse after the initial surgery.
Low back structures including the bones, nerves, muscles are physically close to one another, and because surgery in the lower spine is in itself stressful to the area, it can weaken and de-stabilize the area. As a result of surgery, structures that have not been removed can become damaged or stressed and can become a new source of pain.
Surgery will result in some amount of scar tissue build up. If the scar tissue itself forms near any nerves, it also becomes a source of pressure and pain.
Since disc removal surgery takes place close to the afflicted nerves, there is a great possibility that the nerves will be damaged during the procedure. It that happens, the nerve damage will cause pain and other undesirable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, stiffness, etc.
Low back surgery also requires the use of anesthesia which can result in other medical risks including death.
All surgery, including back surgery, is associated with infection risks. The risk begins preoperatively with the injection of anesthetics and other drugs and continue through the surgical procedure itself. If infection sets in, the infection itself can cause independent medical problems.
Low back surgery requires significant recovery time... time which many patients cannot afford to lose. Recovery time can be anywhere from 6 weeks for a laminectomy to 15 months for spinal fusion.
Many low back pain patients are not good candidates for surgery because they have medical conditions that raise the normal risks to intolerable levels, or because their sources of low back pain are not susceptible to relief via surgery.
Even if the surgery is successful in and of itself, and even if no procedure-related problem actually occurs; there is a high probability that within 2 to 5 years, another surgery will be needed to fix the levels above and below the targeted levels of the first surgery.
Once you go down this road of surgery you will increase the chance that you will need further surgeries in the future.
What does one surgeon say about Spinal Surgery?
"I make my living doing surgery but the answer I give my patient is you do not need surgery. In fact, if you look at the literature on herniated discs, patients who don't have surgery and patients who do have surgery feel about the same after one year. There is no significant difference between the two group"
"Dr. Rosomoff M.D. was discussing "failed back surgery syndrome" of which there is a documented 50,000 cases every year. While lecturing at the American Academy of Pain Management Symposium, it was his opinion that surgery should only be performed in 1 in every 500 low back cases. He felt that would eliminate 99% of all surgical cases"
What does a surgeon say about spinal decompression therapy?
"As a surgeon, I only want to do surgery when I absolutely have to. Spinal Decompression Therapy gives my patients a more conservative treatment option that can eliminate the need for surgery altogether, and that's a very good thing".
Surgery may be appropriate for a selected few patients. If you are considering surgery, you should try all the alternatives including spinal decompression therapy.
You may be candidate for our spinal decompression therapy!
How do I get started?
Contact our office at (425) 455-3472 to schedule an initial consultation with the Doctor to determine your individual situation. Medical Evaluation and Diagnostic testing procedures should be performed prior to beginning any treatment in order to determine the most effective process. After carefully studying your case history and exam findings, the Doctor will sit down and explain his recommended plan of action for you. After answering any questions you may have about the recommended plan, you may begin your care.
