Is surgery for neck or back pain necessary? The answer is: sometimes. It is reasonable to consider spine surgery if the pain has not diminished after several months of non-surgical treatment, if your pain does not respond to narcotic medications, or if you are unable to complete basic daily activities. But fear not - there's a wide array of surgery options. Some are minimally invasive procedures (e.g. microdiscectomy for a herniated disc) allow for a quick recovery, while other types of surgery (e.g. a posterolateral fusion for degenerative disc disease) are more extensive and have a much longer recovery time. Understanding your surgery options will help you better decide on a course of action.
While neck pain (in the cervical spine) is less common than lower back pain (in the lumbar spine), millions of people experience neck pain and/or related arm pain at some point in their life.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms and Treatment Options
While there are many causes of lower back pain, most cases of low back pain can typically be linked to either a general cause or a specific and diagnosable condition.
Although upper back pain is not a very common spinal disorder, it can cause significant discomfort and pain when it does occur.
Spinal anatomy is a remarkable combination of strong bones, flexible ligaments and tendons, large muscles and highly sensitive nerves that is designed to be incredibly strong and highly flexible.