Briefly reviewing what I had previously written HERE and HERE; the lumbar micro-discectomy he had is designed ONLY to remove disc material compressing a nerve and relieve sciatic pain. It does NOT treat low back pain. It does NOT heal or repair the damaged disc fibers. It does not improve a lumbar disc’s ability to…
There are 3 things to know about any form of treatment for back pain: Everything works for someone Nothing works for everyone We often don’t know what will work for whom or the extent to which it will work. Considering that, in most cases, a completely accurate diagnosis for the cause of back pain cannot…
The current approach in managing low back pain leaves a lot to be desired. The risk of a poor treatment outcome is higher than ever before. The incidence of chronic low back pain has risen 64% since the year 2000. BUT..the actual percentage of people experiencing “new” episodes of back pain has remained unchanged. Permanent…
There is a great paradox in spine-related care. That paradox is…… Everything works for someone. Nothing works for everyone. As clinicians, we cannot exactly predict what will “work” for whom, and the extent to which it will “work.” Referring to this as a “Supermarket of Spine Care”, Dr.’s Scott Haldeman and Simon Dagenais (1) have…
Many people receive treatment based on the presumption that a perfectly accurate diagnosis for the source of their spinal pain can be made. This presumption is often false and at least partly responsible for the increasing epidemic of spine-care failures, especially when surgery is involved. This is particularly true when surgery is performed to correct…