Back Pain Relief QA: An Interview with a Neurosurgeon


Back Pain:

Lower back pain is a major problem for hundreds of thousands of Americans. In fact, it's reported by the National Institutes of Health that lower back back pain cost us around $50 billion annually in lost wages, lost work and general reduction in productivity that lower back pain imposes. This article, an interview with Dr Steven Gelbard, a Neurosurgeon from Coral Springs Florida, sheds light on some steps you can take to reduce - and even stop - your lower back pain forever.

Question 1: What are some non-surgical alternatives to back surgery?

Answer 1: Non-surgical alternatives, also called "conservative" therapy, are typically suggested by my patients' primary physician prior to their referral to me. My patients have tried everything - and none of it worked for them, though conservative therapy does work for a large number of people.

Here are some non-surgical ideas for reducing lower back pain, but I must say that my first and foremost recommendation is that if you're suffering from lower back pain that you visit your primary physician before attempting anything on this list.

1) Rest
One of the most common back injuries is the slipped disk - rest at the early stages of injury is one of the best recovery tools available. Lie on your back on the floor and place pillows under your knees and head. Also try placing your feet and calves on a chair.

2) Heat
Heat can help with ongoing muscle spasms. Heat the spasm for periods of 20-30 minutes at a time.

3) Stretching
Only conduct stretches with the approval of your family physician. The muscles of your back are deeply interwoven down into the muscles of your butt and legs so often a stretching regimen can reduce certain types of back pain. If your pain is chronic you may find that several months of stretching can help reduce pain.

4) Exercise
Strengthening your body core - abdomen, lower back and gluteus - can help to reduce back pain and prevent future pain from occurring. Pilates and yoga are two types of exercise that can help you achieve a stronger core, and both systems of exercise have practitioners who develop exercises specifically for stronger backs.

5) Injections
There are a number of injections that can serve to both diagnose the cause of your back pain as well as potentially treat it. The types of injections include soft tissue injections that decrease inflammation and reduce joint pain, epidural steroid injections often used for degenerative disk disease, nerve block injections which can both diagnose and treat the pain, and trigger point injections for areas that are especially sensitive.

Question 2: How effective are epidural injections for chronic pain?

Answer 2: Some people who have epidurals get better and never have problems
again. Or, they may require a set of epidural blocks once a year, or once every two or three years for flare-up. They can get away with-out surgery. We have a lot of people we are following that way. But, if all else fails, and you are hurting every day since an accident that happened over a year ago, then it is appropriate to do something more aggressive.

Question 3: What is the least invasive lower back pain surgical procedure?

Answer 3: Many people, when faced with surgery, want the least invasive procedure possible. This is often in line with what will give them the best relief for the longest period of time, and we've found especially good long term results using a procedure called percutaneous laser diskectomy which involves only a minor incision that a band aid can cover.

I find this percutaneous diskectomy particularly amazing because of how little we have to do to heal our patients... Especially considering the level to which they return.

With percutaneous diskectomy the patient can get completely better. He will be able to return to work and live everyday without pain or maybe occasional pain. But he still will have had an injury to his back; he will always have to be careful. He will always have to be aware of heavy lifting. I wouldn't recommend that he play tackle football or lift weights. But the normal activities that people do like day-to-day sports, swimming and walking...all of these are OK. In a sense, the restrictions, while there, are limited.

Before resorting to any surgery, though, be sure to thoroughly discuss the procedure's benefits and potential downsides with your surgeon. And remember the power of the second opinion - many people see this as a sign of disrespect towards their doctors, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Thom Kingsley's interview series includes luminaries from the Neurosurgical field such as Dr Steven Gelbard. To learn more about Dr Steven Gelbard you can visit his website at neurosurgery.md/neurosurgery_home.htm.


Hot Topics In Back Pain

    3 Common Back Pain Questions Answered

    Millions of people struggle with back pain and fail to get lasting relief and the primary reason is a lack of knowledge and understanding about back pain.

    In our work with over 20,000 back pain suf...

    Top Five Treatments As Back Pain Relief

    The back is indeed one of the most functional part of a person's body. Everyone basically needs to rely on their backs as the central workforce of the human body, for it is very important in almost al...

    The Aches Of Back Pain

    Back pain is a problem that plagues many people. It can disrupt your daily life in many ways and even lead to loss of employment in some cases. Often if left untreated it can cause you to lose a great...

    Physical Therapy For Treating Back Pain

    Most doctors who work with patients in treating back pain also actively work with physical therapists. Physical therapists are skilled in helping patients recover from back pain and get back to perfor...

    Low Back Pain - Physician Advice on Relief and Causes

    Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for visiting a primary care physician. People may experience back pain after lifting heavy objects, twisting and turning their backs during exercise or ...

    Physical Therapy for the Lower Back - How to Prevent and Treat Lower Back Pain

    Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of job-related disability and why some people miss work. It is also the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, second only to he...

    Back Pain Relief QA: An Interview with a Neurosurgeon

    Lower back pain is a major problem for hundreds of thousands of Americans. In fact, it's reported by the National Institutes of Health that lower back back pain cost us around $50 billion annually in ...

    Back Pain Medication - Back Pain Products

    The main problem with the back pain is that it is at your back. At a place which you can not see, and some parts of which are not even within your reach. Treating back pain is not tha...

    Low Back Pain - Acute and Chronic

    The most common of all the types of back pain is that of lower back pain.

    As with any type of pain there are two different types (and low back pain is no exception): acute and ...

    Prescription Medication For Back Pain Relief

    Many a times, you will find that the ordinary salesperson at the drug stores is as knowledgeable as the professionally qualified medical assistant. He goes through numerous prescriptions of the medica...

    Backache treatment, Herbs and Ayurvedic Remedies and Backache symptom

    Backache is medically known as lumbago. It is the disease which afflicts any region of the vertebral column or the associated muscles. Each of the 32 vertebrae can develop sudden pains which could bec...

    Adopt Correct Postures To Get Rid Of Back Pain

    Back pain can affect an individual in many ways. Apart from the sheer physical discomfort of not being able to sit, stand, walk or even move a few steps conveniently, there are even deeper and more si...

Most Recent Back Pain Supplements

Newly Popular Illness Articles

    Finding The Best Migraine Medicine For You

    Migraine is a common complaint affecting thousands of Americans, especially women. It presents as severe headache coupled with nausea and discomfort. The sufferer is quite unable to do any useful acti...

    Looking For An Effective Bad Breath Remedy?

    Bad breath is definitely a problem that everyone wants to get rid of. If you're trying to find new creative ways to eliminate bad breath throughout the day, there are several things you can do to make...

    Foods To Avoid When You Suffer Acid Reflux

    When you have been diagnosed with acid reflux, you know that there are certain foods you need to avoid. Avoiding certain foods can help you feel better and lessen the damage to your esophagus. If you ...

    Efficacy Of Garlic Consumption For High Cholesterol Afflicted Folk.

    If you are looking for best natural remedy or preventive technique for cholesterol abnormality you simply need to fetch garlic in your home. A few cloves of garlic intake everyday would safely keep yo...

    3 Common Back Pain Questions Answered

    Millions of people struggle with back pain and fail to get lasting relief and the primary reason is a lack of knowledge and understanding about back pain.

    In our work with over 20,000 back pain suf...

    Back Pain Relief QA: An Interview with a Neurosurgeon

    Lower back pain is a major problem for hundreds of thousands of Americans. In fact, it's reported by the National Institutes of Health that lower back back pain cost us around $50 billion annually in ...

    How To Care For Your Teeth

    With more people taking better care of their teeth at home and with advanced dental treatments, more people are keeping their natural teeth for a lifetime. Two of the most important things you can do ...

    A Meditation Technique for Dealing with Headaches

    De-stress yourself. This is particularly true for those who suffer from tension headaches. Below I have included some tips on how to distress your self.

    Meditation brings with it peace of mind as we...

    Finding An Insomnia Cure

    Insomnia the inability to fall or stay asleep has likely held each of us in its grip at one time or another. Tossing and turning the whole night through, we finally succumb to whatever fitful nugget o...

    Health Risks Of Smoking Cigars

    Everyone has heard the risks associated with smoking cigarettes, but the risks of cigar smoking are often overlooked. Many people are uncertain whether the risks of smoking cigars are equally dangerou...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Illness Blogs:

Releated to Illness:

Back Pain Links: