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Failed back surgery syndrome, why chiropractic is a safer alternative to a second surgery.
If you had back surgery and the pain has not abated, perhaps you need to think about this differently. Back surgery has a poor long term record of helping people, unless the person who had the surgery was selected carefully. Most good neurosurgeons may perform back surgery on perhaps 15% or less than the candidates who visit them. What this tells us is that the physicians who are sending them either have chosen other prior methods poorly for their patient or the patients have wanted to prematurely visit the neurosurgeon with the mistaken idea that the surgeon has the answer.
Medicine has done a poor job of understanding body mechanics and the musculoskeletal system historically. Most medical physicians have limited knowledge of how to evaluate function which is the newest way of accurately evaluating mechanical pain and instead, rely on old style static testing which is old school thinking which leads to conservative treatment plans for back problems which rarely lead to long term resolution of a problem.
Until recently, it was fashionable to send people for injections which were expensive and only helped perhaps 25% of those who tried this approach until recently, bad batches of the medicine used in the injection resulted in injuries and death. Even though this was one particular lab that was involved, this conservative approach was not conservative and of course had sizable risks.
Chiropractors generally have a better working knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and while some patients post surgically have been scared away from trying manipulation because of the fear of complication, most are pleasantly surprised at how safe and effective the chiropractic approach can be. The reason chiropractors can help post surgically, even when patients have had fusions is because these areas are no longer movable, however, the pain may be due to the sacroiliac joints or other areas that were not affected by the surgery. In other words, even though the MRI or CT showed a lesion or disc herniation, it may not have been the reason why you were hurting.
Chiropractic manipulation, when combined with myofascia release, exercises and full body evaluation is the most effective approach, since only by looking at the entire body and body style can you begin to understand why someone is in pain. A common error made under medical diagnosis is to just look at where you hurt, rather than why. Looking at the human body as a whole (holistically) is the most effective way to properly diagnose the condition of back pain which most often involves the legs and the upper body and even the feet. By not evaluating these areas, and only looking for a lesion of sorts, the doctor cannot possibly fully understand the mechanism of pain because more often than not, the reason the person is in pain is not in the area of pain.
If you were wondering about chiropractic safety; chiropractic has one of the lowest malpractice rates in the industry, which is based on claims made. In other words, chiropractors are trained to understand when and when not to treat and when to refer.
More medical doctors are now referring to chiropractors to evaluate lower back pain and failed back surgeries and some Neurosurgeons are working with chiropractors to help their patients who failed to improve. Most chiropractors are also finding that more medical physicians are utilizing their services and they are surprised at the results they experienced, and are now telling and referring others.
To find out more, call us for an appointment today.