Do I need Surgery for my Back pain? A Spinal Surgeons Perspective

Rath Sundaram is a Consultant Orthopaedic, Trauma and Spinal Surgeon at Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust and is the spinal lead for Gloucestershire Hospitals. As well as working in the NHS he has a large Private patient base. The elective work he provides is mainly for sciatica, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. All which are significant causes of back pain, and disability. We go into detail about the different types of Spinal Surgeries for back pain, when they should be done, benefits and limitations of each, as well as tips on when it's appropriate to see a consultant spinal surgeon and much more. So, if you have back pain and are worried about having surgery or if you are just exploring your options then this episode is for you!   KEY TAKEAWAYS The majority of diagnosis are made from the individual’s history and with an examination, a scan would be done to confirm this. Only 5% of individuals will require surgery because the majority who have spinal pain symptoms will heal over time. There is considerable research around the types of people who do well and are the right people to operate on. No two patients are the same it’s about relative anatomy and the way individuals are built. We treat the person, not the scan. The evidence shows that physical therapy can help things to settle down over time. If this doesn’t reduce pain then surgery can be considered. The more common operation is a lumbar discectomy procedure. Fusion surgery is done when there is instability and movement in the spine. The most common cause of this is spondylolisthesis With surgery people are usually home the next day. Your body will be tired and good therapy will help get you back to your normal state as quickly as possible. Decisions about treatment are based on the level of symptoms and the quality of life. It is about whether someone can live their everyday life.   BEST MOMENTS ‘The spine is a dynamic structure’ ‘When you are in severe pain for a period of time it can be difficult to accept that it will get better in time’ ‘It is reasonable to consider a scan after 6weeks if the treatment isn’t making a difference ’   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Back Pain PodcastFree Sciatica guide: www.thebackpainpodcast.com  https://www.itsmyspine.co.uk   ABOUT THE HOSTS Dave ElliotDave is the owner of Advanced Chiropractic, a chain of Chiropractic and massage therapy clinics in Essex, UK. Dave still sees patients during the week but has been working hard to talk to as many experts in the field of back pain as possible to help distil all the information and bring it to you in this awesome podcast. You can find Dave on any of the Advanced Chiropractic social media platforms, or you can contact him @ [email protected] if you have any questions for him.-Instagram   Rob BeavenRob owns and runs a multidisciplinary clinic, The Dyer St Clinic in Cirencester Gloucestershire. His team of Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Doctors and podiatrists all collaborate on thousands of back pain patients every year. Alongside Dave, he has worked hard to bring to the table experts across all industries to give you the low down on back pain, with steps you can implement today to start feeling better.-Instagram -Twitter CONTACT METHOD Instagram Twitter Facebook [email protected]  Support the show: https://thebackpainpodcast.com