Conventional Treatment Options

There are many treatment options for back pain. Some work, some do not. One commonly prescribed treatment for low back pain is bed rest. However, this treatment continues to exert pressure on the discs and grossly slows or prevents the healing process. Other treatment options include:

• Medications: Some drugs lead to prolonged use and they tend to cover up the underlying problem with a wide variety of damaging side effects.

• Chiropractic / Physical Therapy: Effective up to a point; effectiveness begins to diminish as the degree of disc damage and degeneration increases.

• Epidural injections: Invasive and in most cases, results are only temporary, lasting from a few days to a few months.

• Surgery: According to the 2002 Johns Hopkins White Paper on Low Back Pain and Osteoporosis * by John P. Kostulk, M.D. and Simeon Margolis, M.D., PhD. surgery "is not the treatment of choice for most people with back pain." The report goes on to say “fewer than 5% of people with back pain are good candidates for surgery”. "Surgery ought to be used when all other measures have been explored and if it appears that there is a strong probability that it will improve the condition." Although there have been advancements in spinal surgery, outcomes can be unpredictable. Failed-back surgery/post-operative pain syndrome is a troubling reality from surgical intervention. Less than 1 out of 4 disc surgeries are successful after 5 years and there is increased risk that additional surgery will be needed (17-20%). Other risks that also need to be considered include the side effects from anesthesia, infection, bleeding, nerve disruption and instability of the spinal column.