Back Surgery for Back Pain? - Think Again

If you suffer from back pain, including disc degeneration or a herniated disc, you may be considering having back surgery to give you some relief. Back pain can be severe, tempting us with surgery as a remedy. If you suffer from back pain, consider the study published in the August 2010 issue of Spine. Researchers found patients who chose a surgical solution worse off than those who used non-surgical approaches.

Researchers studied a group of Ohio residents who were out of work due to back pain. All patients were part of the Ohio Worker's Compensation program and their medical files were available to researchers. They examined 725 patients with lumbar fusion compared to workers in the program who had chronic lower back pain diagnoses but who had not received a lumbar fusion surgery.

Researchers examined the state of the workers two years after either the injury itself (if the patient did not have surgery) or two years after the lumbar fusion surgery. Their findings should make you think twice about a surgical solution to back pain.

Surprisingly, researchers found that those without surgery were more likely to return to work. After two years, 26% of those who had surgery had returned to work, compared to 67% of those who did not have surgery. Of those with surgery, 27% received a second surgery. The surgical patients were also more likely to be using pain medication at the end of the two-year period. Some patients continued using pain medications daily (41% of the surgery patients); 76% of the surgery patients continued on pain medication.

Researchers studied the records of 1,450 patients in Ohio who were diagnosed with disc degeneration, disc herniation, or radiculopathy. After two years, 26% of patients who had surgery returned to work, compared to 67 percent of those who did not have surgery. Among those who had back surgery, there was an increase of 41% in the use of painkillers, particularly opiates.

Patients who sought pain relief with surgery ended up on pain relieving drugs and were less likely to return to work than non-surgery patients. Read the abstract from the study.

For non-surgical back pain relief, people turn toward chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy, exercise, and anti-inflammatory diets. Back pain is complex and person should use every avenue at his or her disposal to reduce pain. However, one treatment that has been effective for some patients is spinal decompression therapy, offered by some chiropractors. It may be able give you a great deal of relief, particularly when combined with a life style that supports the health of your back.

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