Nobody wants to go undergo an operation, especially if that surgery involves an intricate structure, like your spine. Although some conditions are best treated with a surgical operation, the vast majority will respond to preventative measures and conservative care. So if you want to avoid an operation on your spine, consider these five tips.
Avoiding Spine Surgery
Always listen to your physician’s specific advice when it comes to your exact condition, but these five tips can help keep back pain at bay and keep you off the operating table.
- Exercise. Most people think that rest and activity restriction are the best ways to care for back pain, and while these methods can help prevent you from overstressing your spine, exercise can actually strengthen structures and muscle groups in the area. Additionally, exercise gets the blood pumping, helping to deliver oxygenated blood to the area. If normal exercise is too taxing on your spine, consider aqua aerobics to take the pressure off your spine.
- Diet/Weight Loss. A healthy diet also plays a big role in the health of your spine. Junk food or foods that are high in sugar or fat can contribute to the development of inflammation in your spine, which can lead to pain or compression in the area. A healthy diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which ensures you aren’t overstressing your spine.
- Physical Therapy. Physical therapy is similar to exercise in that it promotes muscle development, but physical therapy specifically targets the problem area(s) of your back. Physical therapy is great for conditions like bulging discs or sciatica pain because it works to relieve compression or pressure in the area. Talk to your doctor about specific physical therapy exercises you should begin for your condition, and don’t just do them during your session at the clinic. Make time to perform some low-impact physical therapy exercises each day.
- Injections. Unlike the first three options, injections aren’t something you can do on your own to help your back condition. That being said, injections can be very helpful at calming pain from an irritated or compressed nerve. There are a number of different pain injections available, so you’ll want to consult with a spine specialist and determine exactly what’s causing your pain before moving forward with an injection. Although they won’t provide full relief, corticosteroid injections can provide short-term and some long-term relief depending on the cause of your pain.
- Spinal Manipulation. If your back pain is the result of an alignment issue, chiropractic or spinal manipulation may be able to help you realign your spine and avoid unnecessary surgery. The technique won’t help if you’re dealing with a spinal fracture or a muscle tear, but if you have a pinched nerve or a disc alignment issue, careful manipulation in the hands of an experienced professional can do wonders.
In most cases, these approaches to reducing back pain require discipline and patience, but the reward can be less pain without surgery!
Precision Pain Care and Rehabilitation has two convenient locations in Richmond Hill – Queens and New Hyde Park – Long Island. Call the Richmond Hill office at (718) 215-1888, or (516) 419-4480 for Long Island office, to arrange an appointment with our Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Chacko.
