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How To Know When It’s Time To Talk to a Spine Specialist
May 31, 2022
More than 65 million people have suffered from some kind of back pain and many continue to do so for a very long time. It’s an inconvenient problem that has a major effect on every aspect of your life.
There are a lot of causes of back pain and just as many treatment options. But those treatment options don’t always work, which can leave you not only still in pain but also very frustrated at the rate of progress you’re not seeing. This is when you might need spine surgery as a more intense treatment option to have a better chance of recovery.
Any surgery is a big deal and shouldn’t be taken lightly, so here are the signs you can look for before talking to a spine specialist.
Pain is Unbearable
Unfortunately, not many people go through life never experiencing any kind of back pain. A little bit of discomfort, tightness, or soreness is a normal part of life and shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
It’s when that pain starts to severely interrupt your daily activities and become unbearable that things become concerning. That’s a sign of a deeper issue that may require spine surgery.
Other Treatments Haven’t Worked
Spine fusion surgery is never going to be the first line of treatment for any patient. They must try a variety of treatment options first before even being considered a candidate for an operation.
When medication, rest, specific spine exercises, and time don’t seem to be having any positive effect, it may be time to think about different types of spine surgery.
Symptoms are Traveling
Back pain has a terrible way of not staying confined to the spine itself and can cause problems in many other areas of your body. This most often happens with additional nerve pain, which is extremely painful and difficult to deal with. Nerve pain should be taken seriously and might cause you to talk to a spine specialist early.
Continued Re-Injury
There is nothing more frustrating than taking the time to rehab an injury and just getting to see some progress only to re-injure the same spot.
All that hard work feels like it was a complete waste of time. An injury that continues to repeat itself can be a sign of a bigger, deeper problem that needs to be addressed by some kind of spine surgery.
When You Might Need Spine Surgery
When you might need spine surgery it’s important to get started on the process as quickly as you can. The first step is talking to the spine specialist to get their professional opinion and further information about how they can help you.
One of the keys to making sure you have a good outcome is finding a surgeon who can handle your case and has seen many great, positive outcomes in the past. Having a great surgery team makes the whole process much easier and will fill you with a lot more confidence going in.
If you’re interested in speaking to a spine specialist about the types of spine surgery and how they can help you, contact us today!