Why does Back Surgery not work?
A very common issue that we run into in Pain Relief Limerick is people who have undergone surgery to fix their back pain, unsuccessfully.
The worst part about this is, these people will now give up hope of ever getting relief from their back pain. I often hear things like, “If surgery didn’t fix me I have no hope”.
Well, the good news is, this is not always the case.
Sometimes, back surgery doesn't work because it wasn’t necessary in the first place. It is just based on the fact that they have these certain findings on an MRI scan:
-Bulging Discs
-Compressed Nerves
-Disc Degeneration Disease (DDD)
-Facet Joint Arthrosis
-Spinal Canal Stenosis
There’s a very strong possibility that you will find at least one of these on your MRI, whether or not you have pain. In fact, as an experiment, in 2018 I went for an MRI on my back. When the results came back, I had all of these findings and more. I was immediately referred to see a surgeon. Obviously, I didn’t go, because I had no back pain of any description.
However, If I hurt my back badly the day before this MRI because I pulled something when tying my laces, this MRI would have suggested I did some serious damage and that I go for surgery. Although it wouldn’t have fixed me, because my problem was elsewhere.
Often, we see people who have ongoing back pain because their back muscles are tired from working too hard, simply because something else isn’t doing its job well. Surgery on the back will not fix that. You need to go through Physio rehab to get that balance back.
Similarly, you could bend over to pick something up or to catch something or someone that is falling, your muscles aren’t ready for that movement so they go into a protective spasm or you might even strain or tear a muscle. So, surgery won’t fix that either. You need to strengthen and retrain that muscle.
In Short, the first option should always be the conservative route. Try Physiotherapy to help you to understand what exactly is wrong first.
Treat your body, not your MRI!