Spine Health-Spine Surgery
Know-how to avoid spine surgery
We are living the stage of life where extra care is needed
to keep our bodies well maintained and “greased”. Lower back pain is one such
area that needs constant awareness and action. 80% cases of musculoskeletal issues
are related to lower back pain, a common obs.
The first thing our MDs suggest, to diagnose the pain; an MRI.
Good tool. However, an MRI taken of the spine with the patient lying on his/her
back is simply INACCURATE. Reason; the patient’s spine doesn’t exhibit bio-mechanical
force loading on spinal discs in the lying posture. The accurate method would
be, to stand up and get the MRI done.
Most often than not, the doctor would suggest surgery for a
variety of procedures, with spinal fusion being the most common, to stabilize
the spine and alleviate pain. In my view, surgery should be the last resort,
though in some extreme cases, less invasive options just wont work.
Following is a brief list of back surgery risks:
·
Reaction to anesthesia/other
drugs
·
Bleeding
·
Infection
·
Blood clots, for example in
the lungs or legs
·
Heart attack
·
Stroke
·
Recurrent disc herniation
·
Nerve damage; may result in
weakness, paralysis, pain, sexual dysfunction or loss of bowel/bladder control
If you happen to see your doctor
for a complain of back pain, you are 40% likely to have surgery compared to
another patient who visits a chiropractor for example. The doc will definitely
convince you. After 2 years, a mere 26% of
patients who had surgery had actually returned to work. Compare that to 67% who
didn have a surgery and DID return to work even though they had the same
diagnosis. This translates to a 74% failure rate.
A report by John Hopkins states” surgery for herniated disks
isn’t better than long term non-surgical techniques”.
The spinal fusion procedure despite the hype of being THE
cure of lower back and cervical pain, is nothing more than a hoax. The details
can be read here:
Long-Term
Effects of Segmental Lumbar Spinal Fusion on Adjacent Healthy Discs: A Finite
Element Study,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843054/
The way
forward::::::: Since an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure,
here are some suggestions to keep your spine healthy:
·
Maintain a healthy diet and
weight
·
Exercise regularly
·
Maintain proper posture (no
rolling of shoulders forward, no head fwd)
·
Avoid being a couch potato/period
of inactivity
·
Stop smoking
·
Use good body mechanics
when lifting weight
·
Perform spinal twists at
least 3 times daily with 5 reps
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