Can Chronic Back Pain Be Cured? – How Surgery Can Help
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Can chronic back pain be cured? Before we answer this question, it is crucial to talk about chronic pain, causes, and symptoms. Chronic back pain lasts for more than three months. Although chronic back pain can come and go, it can severely affect your quality of life and day-to-day activities.
Chronic back pain has no identifiable cause. When your back pain persists after the tissue has healed, it is often difficult to identify the exact cause of the discomfort and pain. However, chronic pain may also have an identifiable cause, such as spinal conditions, injuries resulting from falls or accidents, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, and spondylolisthesis.
Besides these, chronic back pain is also due to neuropathic pain. It occurs when spine nerves send pain messages to the central nervous system, even if there is no muscle or tissue damage. There are many chronic back pain relief options. In today’s article, we will answer the question: can chronic back pain be cured?
Can Chronic Back Pain Be Cured?
Research studies have highlighted various treatment option for chronic back pain. So, can chronic back be cured? The answer is, “Yes,” it can be cured. These treatment options include massage, physical therapy, biofeedback therapy, acupuncture, medications, such as opioids or narcotics, laser therapy, nerve stimulation, and surgery.
It is crucial to consult your doctor or neurosurgeon about advanced treatment options that best fit your needs. Chronic back pain relief options, such as physical therapy and drugs like opioids, are highly effective in relieving pain.
However, these drugs can produce side effects, such as dependency and addiction. It means if you take opioids for a long time, your body will build resistance against them. As a result, you will need a higher dose to relieve back pain.
Physical Therapy
Can chronic back pain be cured with physical therapy? Studies show that exercise is the foundational treatment for chronic back pain. It is the first line of treatment that a qualified physical or neurosurgeon suggests to their patients. Physical therapy for chronic back pain relief includes retraining your posture via correction exercises, strengthening, stretching, flexibility workouts, and aerobic exercises.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Some foods items, such as fruits, vegetables, fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, spices and herbs, can help relieve chronic spinal pain. Avoid foods high in Trans-fats, processed meats, and a sugary diet to ease your back pain. You can also consume plant-based proteins, dairy products, avocados, and other foods loaded with antioxidants to improve your spinal health.
Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural steroid injections, nerve blockers or never ablations can give you chronic back pain relief. Your doctor will prescribe you these injections when the pain source is known. Although injections can lessen pain, the effect may not be for a long time.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Can chronic back pain be cured with minimally invasive spine surgery? Unlike open back surgery that can lead to severe complications, such as blood loss during the operation, increased infection risk due to a large incision, and damaged muscles, tissues, and nerves, minimally invasive surgery is relatively safer and more effective.
Minimally invasive surgery is the most effective treatment option for chronic back pain relief. It requires the surgeon to make a tiny incision in your spine or abdomen to reach the area of concern. The surgeon uses a high-quality endoscope to view the internal structures on a specialized monitor.
Our experienced neurosurgeon will make a smaller incision in your back or front during minimally invasive spine surgery, depending on your condition. The surgeon will then insert a tubular retractor to create a tunnel to your spine. The device will push aside the muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues around the damaged area.
Our neurosurgeon will then insert small tools through the tunnel to start the operation. Here at MINT, our neurosurgeons use a high-quality microscope to view real X-ray images of the patient’s spine. The most common minimally invasive spine surgery methods are spinal fusion, discectomy, foraminotomy, and laminectomy. Here at MINT, we perform minimally invasive spine surgery to treat:
- Degenerative disc disease and herniated discs
- Spinal deformities, including scoliosis
- Spinal stenosis and instability
- Fractured vertebra
- Spondylolisthesis, spinal infection, and tumors
Contact MINT Today!
Although there are many treatment options for chronic back pain, the best among them is minimally invasive spine surgery. If you want chronic back pain relief, schedule your appointment here at MINT with our licensed and experienced neurosurgeon. Can chronic back pain be cured with surgery? Contact MINT today to know your treatment options.
