If you’ve had back pain for some time you may have wondered if you need surgery. You may have heard about minimally invasive spine surgery, but are you a good candidate for such surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery is an appealing option for people with chronic back pain caused by certain conditions. It offers smaller incisions, less blood loss, shorter or same-day hospital stays, less pain and shorter recovery.
Once you are home from the outpatient spine surgery center, it is time to focus on important aspects of your recovery, such as allowing your spine to heal properly, eating healthy foods, getting a good night’s sleep, and increasing activity as instructed by your surgeon. The extra effort you make now can make your recovery smoother and get you back to your normal activities sooner. The best advice is to closely follow the surgeon’s orders for a safe and speedy recovery!
A herniated disc in your lumbar spine can be very painful. The good news is it often resolved with conservative treatment, which generally consists of physical therapy in combination with pain medication and/or muscle relaxers. If non-invasive treatments such as these don’t fully do the trick, you may still be able to avoid surgery with a steroid injection.
Lumbar back pain is very common, affecting 70 percent to 85 percent of people during their lifetime, according to an article in Asian Spine Journal. If conservative treatment is not successful, surgery might be indicated — and, if you've had low back surgery, there's a good chance your core muscles need some work. In fact, weak muscles might have contributed to the problem that led you to surgery in the first place.
