Benefits of Back Surgery and nonsurgery are controversial and a topic of much debate among physicians and patients.
Benefits of Back Surgery and Nonsurgery have been examined and Weber et al demonstrated that at 4 years there was not a significant difference in outcome between those patients who underwent surgery vs conservative non operative management.
Benefits of Back Surgery and nonsurgery is complicated but several pearls can make it easier to understand.
First and foremost surgery should be the option of last resort in the absence of incontinence or motor weakness. Surgery is a one way gate. Once you enter and undergo a given procedure it can not be undone. The tissue, muscles and possible disc that is removed is gone. This in itself causes an entire host of other problems including failed back syndrome.
Secondly, all conservative therapies should be undertaken.
Third: The disc needs to be identified as the principal generator of pain. At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic highly selective nerve blocks are performed with the use of intermittent x-ray to identify whether or not a given lumbar disc is the source of pain.
Fourth: Lumbar discs which are painful can be repaired utilizing your own stem cells. At Regenexx we perform a simple needle in, needle out procedure that does not expose the patient to the risks of general anesthesia and surgery. Below is an example of a patient who had severe leg and back pain due to a L5/S1 disc protrusion which was corrected through Regenexx stem cell therapy.
