M.D. Orthopedic Surgeon Recent advances in medical technology have led to many news reports of miraculous cures of serious medical conditions. These reports have raised patient's expectations about all forms of medical treatment. Many patients that I see in the office have the expectation that no medical condition defies a complete, quick cure. In the treatment of back pain, this expectation can lead to deep disappointments.
Back pain is a fairly common disorder, with which most of the population learns to cope.
Occasionally, the medical problem involves nerve dysfunction, which may lead to a recommendation for surgical intervention. Each surgical intervention must be carefully weighed, analyzing the risk of an operation versus the expected benefit. Maximizing the benefit of a surgical intervention involves much more than just a surgical procedure. Often if these additional factors are aggressively pursued, surgery may not be necessary to resolve the medical condition. Without a deep commitment on the part of the patient to pursue the changes mentioned above, surgery is unlikely to achieve the expected improvement promised by many surgeons.