By Sukie Nau, DPT/Owner, NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness
If your back is out of sorts and you have aches and pains nagging at your every move, surgery is not your only option for relief.
A surgeon might have recommended you get surgery. After all, to a hammer, the world is a nail.
However, before considering that route, do your homework. Physical therapy could be the answer you’re seeking.
Back pain is the most common pain we see. Americans spend about $86 billion a year treating their backaches. (That’s on par with what people outlay for cancer treatment.)
But only about 5% of patients with back pain need surgery. Yet, in the U.S., more than 1,150,000 people go under the knife every year. (That’s twice the rate of most other developed countries.)
And the outcomes are not always better. Many times, people don’t get better: Three out of four back surgeries have failed outcomes.
Why Do We Get Back Pain?
Most back pain is caused by our lifestyle. We sit a lot and create muscle tightening to compensate.
That causes compression and more muscle tightening, which creates herniated discs, lumbar pain, etc.
People between the ages of 19-35 tend to get more of certain types of back pain because they tend to have more herniated discs, which have fluid. Whereas people aged 65 or older tend to have more stenosis, or discs that are drying out.
These issues are too complicated for surgery to help.
Before you get back surgery, try physical therapy. Physical therapy includes soft tissue work and manipulation of the joints and fascia.
At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, we look at the cause of lower back pain, which includes tight and weak muscles.
We use acupressure, a hands-on treatment that places pressure on certain points on the body to relieve pressure and increase blood flow. We also do spinal manipulation.
So, when a surgeon recommends you get surgery, please take some time to research your options and try a non-surgical method to relieve your back pain.
Physical therapy is a less painful, and much less expensive method.
For more information, or to schedule a free consultation, call our office today.