I’m aware that surgery is sometimes a necessary therapy, when it comes to serious conditions of the back and neck. There’s no question that it has a place.
Unfortunately, the urgency of pain often prompts patients to move to surgery without giving much thought to the possibility of surgical failure. While people everywhere are paying greater attention to their health and finding out much more about a variety of health care conditions online, there’s still a mystique around surgery.
And that mystique sometimes leads people to believe that surgery is going to magically fix them.
But we are not Barbie or Ken dolls. We’re human beings, with bodies comprised of complex systems. When those systems fail, there are many ways to proceed and surgery is just one of them. While it’s sometimes difficult to live with pain while we’re exploring conservative options, it’s often the most prudent way forward.
Spine surgeries and failure.
30-40% of spine surgeries performed in the USA fail, every year. That statistic should get your attention. What people often forget is that we’re not put together like Lego blocks (or Ken and Barbie) and that the spine is an extremely complex construct of nerves, muscle, ligaments and bone.
There’s a margin of error and it’s reasonably high. While interventions like minimally invasive surgery and robotics offer greater precision and thus, less likelihood of surgical complications, it’s clear that surgery on the back and neck are to be avoided, if possible.
Conservative approach.
Conventional wisdom says that the response to a failed spine surgery is revision (corrective) spine surgery. Depending on the nature of the complication, this can sometimes be the case.
But chiropractic has been proven, time and time again, to be effective as a healthcare support for those who experience failed spine surgery. Let’s face it. When a surgery goes wrong, patients are left not only with physical trauma, but emotional trauma, as well.
They’ve just been through one surgery and are now facing another. That can be devastating for people who’ve probably already suffered a lot of pain before moving to the surgical option and then, the trauma of a surgery that hasn’t relieved their pain.
A conservative approach to addressing pain is often a viable strategy for patients like these. Offering them relief from pain and support at a difficult time is what I do as a chiropractor. When failed spine surgery happens, patients lose trust critical trust in the medical profession.
And chiropractors like me are there to pick up the pieces, offering gentle manipulation, traction and adjustment to alleviate pain and strengthen muscles and ligaments. I also partner with my patients, helping them learn more about their bodies.
I like to think I even restore some of their trust in the medical profession.
At Back & Body NY, I work with a team of clinical professionals dedicated to pain relief. With an award-winning multi-disciplinarian model, we’re changing the way healthcare is delivered. If you’ve experienced failed spine surgery, contact us. We can help.
