Category: Surgery

The Surprising Truth About Herniated Disc Surgery

11/21/2017

A few weeks ago, a personal training friend of mine referred one of his clients, a high school basketball coach in the area, to come in for a Neuro Therapy session.

Coach had been suffering from a herniated disc for months, and it was limiting his ability to keep up with his players on the court.

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It seems that my initial conversations with people who are struggling with a disc condition (bulging, herniated, slipped, degenerative) are always very similar.

**Click here to arrange a 15 minute call with a Premier team member and find out if Neuro Therapy can help you to avoid surgery**

9 out of 10 people who approach me with this condition believe it can’t be fixed without surgery (Coach was one of the 9). They’ve been told it’s something they just have to ‘live with’ unless they want to go under the knife (it just so happens that Coach never experienced anymore issues with his bulging disc after 1 Neuro Therapy session, but that’s a story for another day…)

There’s several studies out there that indicate a non-surgical approach is almost, if not equally, effective to a surgical approach for disc conditions.

Rather than get into whether or not surgery is more effective than a non-surgical approach, I thought I’d give you all of the information needed (risk vs reward) to make a better decision for yourself.

Watch below - Multiple doctors told Julian that surgery was his only solution, but Neuro Therapy helped him to avoid surgery and get back on his feet.

We’ll start with the ‘good news’ or ‘reward’ on surgery-

Reward

A 2016 study (1) that compared outcomes for a total of 370 patients determined the following benefits for surgical intervention:

Those who underwent surgery reported an average of 5.3/10 on the pain scale compared to 4.4/10 for conservative treatment 6 weeks after surgery

Those who underwent surgery reported, on average, 25% better physical function compared to those in the non-surgical group 52 weeks after surgery. However, at 2 years, the difference in physical function was not significant.

It should be noted that these benefits were only statistically significant in the timeframes given. In other words, there was no difference in pain levels between surgical and non-surgical methods at 12 week, 1 year, and 2 year follow-ups. So, according to this report, the potential reward with surgery is that you might feel a little better 6 weeks after surgery than if you tried a non-surgical approach.

Another important item to note is that the non-surgical approach did help to reduce symptoms, meaning disc conditions can be addressed without surgery.

**If you haven't tried Neuro Therapy yet, it may be able to help you avoid surgery. Click here to arrange a call with a Premier team member**

Risks

Now let’s take a look at the risks of herniated disc surgery…

In the absolute best case scenario, the full recovery time is at least 6 weeks, but can sometimes take months. That means potentially missed time from work, family, and activity.

It’s expensive. Costhelper.com (2) estimates the following costs for herniated disc surgery:
- $2000 out of pocket for procedure (on average, varies based on insurance plan)
- $200 if back brace is needed during recovery
- $1000 for physical therapy
- $50-$200 for other misc. purchases like pain relievers, walkers, etc.

About 4% of patients require a second surgery

Risk (although minimal) of spinal fluid leaks, bleeding or infection, or in very rare cases –paralysis or death.

There’s a quick breakdown around the risks and rewards associated with surgery for disc conditions (bulging, herniated, slipped).

You are now armed with more information to make a better decision about what’s right for you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out – I always enjoy helping people to better understand their situation.

Sources:

1) Gugliotta M, da Costa BR, Dabis E, et al. Surgical versus conservative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2016;6:e012938. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016- 012938

2) “How Much Does Herniated Disc Surgery Cost? - CostHelper.com.” CostHelper, health.costhelper.com/herniated-disc-surgery.html.

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