Often, the spinal fusion procedure includes using a cage as a space holder between your vertebrae. This cage will become a part of your spine forever, so it’s important to understand what it is and why it’s there.
There are many options for alternative therapies to treat back and neck pain, including massage, acupuncture, yoga, and more. A large review reveals which options are the most effective at relieving pain.
Researchers compared surgical and non-surgical treatments for severe sciatica pain from a lumbar herniated disc and determined that surgery may provide the fastest pain relief.
While stem cell treatment for lower back pain (such as that which is caused by degenerative disc disease) may sound promising, it still requires a lot of additional study.
It is often said that no one should have spine surgery unless they receive a second opinion from another surgeon. On the surface, this advice would sound like good old common sense, as two opinions are better than one. However, there is a trap in this line of thinking.
Back pain affects more than 80% of people in the U.S. at a cost of more than $100 billion a year. While many conditions can be treated conservatively (non-surgically), sometimes surgery is the only way to provide considerable relief. The question becomes whether or not the high cost of spine surgery is worth it.
