Back Pain: Surgery Doesn’t Always Have to be the Answer

​Our modern lifestyles often dictate that people spend hours sitting behind a desk.  The net result is that back pain is more prevalent than ever before as we generally no longer participate in hard manual labour as our ancestors did, strengthening our core muscles.  Caring for our families no longer means growing a crop or hunting by wit with primitive weapons.  Rather, battles are won and lost in boardrooms, office cubicles and warehouses.
 
Medical professionals are now commonly seeing people suffering from excruciating back pain, usually middle-aged men but often it’s affecting much younger men and women as early as in their 20’s.  Herniated discs and back sprains are more common now than ever before.
 
Sadly the way that medicine has progressed, too often surgery is the first proposed course of action when the truth is that many of these issues can be resolved between a neurologist and a good orthotist with an injection and supportive back brace.  When done correctly, this treatment path certainly prolongs a pain-free quality of life before surgery becomes inevitable and often may negate the need for surgery altogether.  Many surgeons are simply too eager to put a patient under the knife for a painful operation that includes a lengthy recovery time.  An operation should be a last resort only after less invasive options have been exhausted.
 
As an experienced orthotist, I have seen that addressing the inflammation and pain experienced with an injection and simultaneously addressing the root of the problem with a supportive back brace can deliver exceptional results.  The added support of the back brace holds the vertebrae in place making sure the patient cannot move incorrectly and this makes the injection much more effective. Ultimately this helps the patient slowly strengthen their back muscles, easing back into full range of motion and ultimately returning to their normal pain-free life without the complications that can arise from surgery.
 
As a patient suffering from back pain, it is worthwhile to investigate orthotics options before agreeing to an operation.  Orthotic technologies as with other modern technologies, has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few decades and custom-made orthotic devices such as back braces, shoe inserts and knee supports can go a long way towards ensuring a healthy pain free life much more effectively than most people realise.  Discuss with your neurologist and visit an orthotist to see if there are alternative options that can work for you.

---