When is surgery necessary for patients with spine problems?
You need surgery for your back if you have the following two conditions. One, you have tried conservative treatments over the course of 3 to 6 months and continue to have symptoms that are difficult to tolerate. This is most true if one of your symptoms is weakness that persists or is getting worse. And two, if all the reports such as X-rays, CT scan, MRI and EMG studies show abnormalities that correlate with your symptoms.
Surgery is recommended when a patient’s pain doesn’t respond to conservative treatment or if they have neurological deficits. Surgery is considered when nonsurgical therapy fails to adequately control the symptoms of pain, weakness or nerve dysfunction. The need for emergent spinal surgery exists but is infrequent. Emergency surgery may be indicated if there are progressive or severe neurologic deficits or bowel or bladder difficulties. Generally the need for surgery is a quality of life decision and not a life and death decision.
Ans. :Surgery for conditions associated with disc disease is necessary when patients continue to be symptomatic despite all conservative treatments. Generally, patients try conservative treatments for between 2 and 6 months. If after this trial of conservative treatment patients continue to have severe pain, surgery is an excellent option. Surgery becomes “necessary” when patients develop signs and symptoms of progressive nerve damage ie, increasing muscle weakness or worsening nerve damage.
Spine surgery ought to be considered as a last resort when addressing pathology localized to the spine. All attempts at application of conservative measures, including rest, physical therapy, simple anti-inflammatory medications, various injection techniques, and even simply the passage of time, should be allowed before pursuing a surgical discussion. If neck or back pain is associated with significant new neurologic deterioration, including radiating numbness, tingling, or weakness in either or both legs, medical attention ought to be sought, and the work up ought to be pursued. Even when these symptoms are present, conservative care is usually the mainstay of treatment.
