Displaying items by tag: chronic back pain

Six questions to ask before you have minimally invasive spine surgery

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.

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.