Back Surgery Vs. Spinal Decompression
For people with severe disc-related back pain and sciatica, long-term relief can be hard to come by and the treatment options often come down to spinal decompression or back surgery. Each treatment option has its pros and cons, but in the end, the best option will depend on a variety of factors that are unique to each case.
There are some misconceptions about both spinal decompression and surgery that can lead to confusion when attempting to determine the best treatment option, especially when pain or medication may be disrupting the ability to think clearly. The following information will help to dispel some of the misconceptions regarding these forms of treatment and will assist pain sufferers in selecting which option is best for their circumstances.
Spinal decompression is an advanced form of traction, but it has very different effects on the spinal discs than regular traction. True spinal decompression systems utilize computer controlled motors that can “fool” the muscles along the spine into staying relaxed during the treatment session. This allows for a suction effect inside the spinal disc being treated, which pulls bulging disc material back into the disc and also pulls in fluid and nutrients that help the disc to recover and heal. Due to the fact that ordinary traction machines must contend with muscular resistance, their effects on the discs are much less than those of spinal decompression and traction typically does not provide long-term improvements in disc health, nor lasting elimination of pain.
Despite the fact that spinal decompression is highly successful in treating most cases of disc-related pain, it is not 100% effective and there are situations in which it is contraindicated. In my San Antonio Spinal Decompression practice, it has been my experience that it is usually not very effective when a patient has a severe disc extrusion, or a full rupture of the disc, rather than just bulging. Spinal decompression is not safe to use when the patient has spinal instability in the are of the damaged disc. In cases where spinal decompression is not appropriate, surgery is indicated as really the only option for getting long term relief for the patient.
Surgery is not the ideal solution for disc-related back pain, although it is the only real option in a small number of cases. Although patients sometimes get the idea that surgery will “fix” the problem once and for all, this is often not the case. In fact, one of the leading predictors that someone will eventually need back surgery in the future is having had back surgery in the past. Although aggressive surgical techniques that involve removing a problematic disc will guarantee that a patient will not have any trouble with that particular disc again, these surgeries create other problems that over time can make things even worse than the original problem.
Post-surgical scar tissue and increased wear and tear on adjacent discs can conspire to create new areas of spinal cord and/or spinal nerve compression months or years after spinal surgery. For this reason, it is my opinion that spinal surgery should be reserved as a last resort when all other treatments (including spinal decompression) have failed or have otherwise been ruled out.
Related posts:
- Spinal Decompression Or Back Surgery, Which Is A Better Option? Back pain and/or sciatica related to a bulging or degenerated spinal disc often can be difficult to treat, and patients may be left with considering the options of spinal decompression or back surgery. Each treatment option has its pros and cons, but in the end, the best option will depend on a variety of factors that are unique to each case....
- Spinal Decompression Or Back Surgery, Which Is The Right Choice For You? For people with severe disc-related back pain and sciatica, long-term relief can be hard to come by and the treatment options often come down to spinal decompression or back surgery. Each treatment option has its pros and cons, but in the end, the best option will depend on a variety of factors that are unique to each case....
- Spinal Decompression Or Back Surgery, Which Is The Right Choice For You? Back pain and/or sciatica related to a bulging or degenerated spinal disc often can be difficult to treat, and patients may be left with considering the options of spinal decompression or back surgery. Each treatment option has its pros and cons, but in the end, the best option will depend on a variety of factors that are unique to each case....
- Back Surgery Vs. Spinal Decompression People suffering from back pain and/or sciatica related to a bulging or degenerated spinal disc often have difficulty getting lasting relief, and they may be left with considering the options of spinal decompression or back surgery. While each has it's benefits and drawbacks, different factors in different cases will ultimately determine the best treatment option....
- How Spinal Decompression Can Help With A Herniated Disc There are some factors in life that we cant seem to do anything about, like aging and the threat of having some kind of accident. As we age, our bones and discs will become prone to damage. And having some kind of trauma can do the same or even worse. In both cases, there are tendencies wherein the discs in our spine become damaged; like bulging or breaking open. When the inner material breaks all the way through the outer fibers this is called a herniated disc....
Written by Dr. Michael Golab with Dr. George Best on December 9th, 2009 with
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