My dad has been in construction for 30+ years and it has finally taken his toll on him. He has had back problems for years, and has been going to the chiropractor for 9+ years too. He has had the epidermal shots, which had no effect at all. He has done acupuncture, seen neurosurgeons, got one of those things that makes him hang upside down, and none of it works for him.He doesn't like taking all of the pain killers, and is nervous about back surgery. Is it safe? I realize theres always chance of something going wrong, but really how often.Thanks so much for any advice
Answer:
The fear of something going wrong in disc surgery, is not based in real facts.
There are several methods, (incresing temperature of the disc with a probe, extracting the center of the disc or nucleus pulposus with a thick needle, under local anesth, andsedation etc)
Open surgery, is still the mainstay of treatment,
Neurosurgery will be the best choice, since it is designed to identify and spare the nerve structures, and extract only the cartilage (disc) that presses on the nerves.
If made and performed by a qualified neurosurgeon, the chances of success, are above 82%.
Remember, there can be more than one disc herniated, however, in qualified hands, it is extremely safe
No, it is NOT SAFE. Keep going to acupucture, chiropractor (here in Dallas, there are many doctors that do both) until he just doesn't want to live anymore, and then you do surgery.
as long as he dosnt lift anything heavy he'll be ok
Safe or not, sometimes it is necessary to have the fragments of the disc removed by surgery. These bits if get embedded in the spinal cord, causes excruciating pain. This cannot be treated by exercises or any other form of treatment except surgery.
Surgery as such is a safe procedure, however, the doctor is the best judge. Age definitely matters.
my husband suffering from the same problem.he has taken abt 4 steriod shots but doesnt work.Finally,the Surgeon advised him go for nerve ablation.This surgery is very much safer than disc replacement.(I have read one of the answeres posted that disc replacement doesnt help much).nerve ablation kind of painful surgety where he has to be at home rest for a abt a month or 2.well,we are not sure if the nerve ablation works as its just been 2 weeks now he was out of the hospital.
Things go wrong often I feel. Just a few questions forward you will find one about a failed fusion which has several , it happened to me too, answers. I have three friends who had it and none of them are any better and two are worse. I have three herniated discs myself but am not a surgical candidate as I have many other spine problems and nerve damage but if offered the opportunity I would not take it. I am 47 and have been dealing with it since 1979.
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