Our clinic often sees patients who have seen spinal surgeons or orthopedic surgeons who have recommended surgery. Those patients typically are seeking a second opinion or they want to know our thoughts on the necessity of spinal surgeries.
There are a lot of variables that must be taken into account concerning spinal surgery, but I place great emphasis on receiving a proper diagnosis first and foremost. We need to determine if there is a disc problem or something more serious, and to reach that diagnosis, we need to know your symptoms. We check over imaging and any testing that has been performed, as well finding out what type of examinations they have already undergone.
Because I am a chiropractor, much of my treatment involves conservative therapies. Before considering surgery, I will determine what can be accomplished through chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, rehab, exercise or activity modifications. If one or more of these therapies appears to be an option for a patient, we try this for anywhere from one to four weeks to see if there is a positive response. If we fail to see a good response at the end of the designated treatment period, we will most likely refer the patient back to their surgeon.
There are other options available outside the clinic that might not necessarily involve surgery, such as epidural steroid injections, medication management, and activity modifications.
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