There are many questions to consider before pursuing spine surgery. Is surgery necessary to treat the issue or would a non-surgical method be more appropriate?
If a person is experiencing low back pain or neck pain, we evaluate them thoroughly with scans, watch them over time and encourage them to maintain good, stable physical activity to see if the issue resolves. If the issue is not resolving with physiotherapy, or other conservative treatment then surgery could be considered.
Many patients with spine problems can be treated non-surgically. Physical therapy, home exercises, medication and often times spinal injections are recommended prior to considering surgery. If the problem still isn’t resolved, then surgery becomes a good option.
For instance, if a patient has significant neurogenic pain in the extremities and non-surgical management has not provided relief, surgical intervention is the best decision. For those with symptoms related to spinal cord or nerve root compression, such as significant weakness in an arm or leg or limb, we may recommend surgical intervention if non-surgical management was unsuccessful.