Are you so defeated and frustrated by your struggle with back pain that you’re beginning to think that surgery might be the only answer? If you’re worn out from months or years of back pain, a surgical option might be looking pretty good right now — except for the fact that your doctor may have told you that you’re “not a surgical candidate”.

So now you’re angry with your doctor because you’ve been told you there’s nothing more he/she can do for you.

Maybe you’ve contemplated finding another doctor who’ll consider doing surgery…but this may not be your best course of action. Here’s why:

Medical research is one resource that most spinal orthopedic and neurosurgeons consider heavily when making a decision about whether to perform surgery. And over the last 10 years, the research has pointed away from using surgery as a good solution for back pain.

Unfortunately, much of the research is conducted retrospectively — after the surgeries have been being performed for several years and the results are tabulated from patient experiences. This means that you are the guinea-pig!

Another study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that complex back surgeries for problems like arthritis (and if you’re over 35, you’ve probably got at least some arthritis), have increased dramatically over the last few years — and so have the risks.

You can read a summary of the study here.

Here’s what you need to know: the number of complex surgeries for back pain has gone up, and so has the rate of life threatening complications such as heart attack, stroke and pneumonia. AND - these surgeries are not getting results, despite the risks.

Why would a surgeon perform a high risk procedure for back pain, when there’s no research to indicate that it improves outcomes and there is research to show that there’s an increase in complications?

Well…there’s a big financial incentive to perform complex surgeries. And patients are often desperate enough to agree to any new procedure hoping that it’s the latest “magic bullet”.

But there is no magic bullet — it doesn’t exist. To recover from back pain, you need to embrace a holistic approach, and your path to healing will be unique.

So what are you supposed to do? First, get informed. Conditions like arthritis, which is very common by the way, respond best to non-invasive treatments such as an appropriate combination of gentle exercise, nutritional support, stress reduction and postural adjustments in everyday activities.

After 30+ years of treating people with back pain, I’ve found that the combination of Pilates and Franklin Method is by far the most effective way to relieve and heal back pain. You may have heard of Pilates, which has been around for almost a century, and emphasizes core strength, flexibility, balance and posture, but The Franklin Method is a relatively new addition to the mind-body scene.

In the next post, I’ll be sharing some videos with you that give you a sneak peek into this powerful combination for back pain relief. In the meantime, have a look at these videos that I made for my Pilates students — they’ll give you a little taste of how Pilates + Franklin Method = A Happier, Healthier YOU.

To Healing Your Back Pain,

Lindy

Filed under: Back Pain studies, Pilates, The Franklin Method, back pain, healing back pain by lindyroyer