Did you know the latest studies on spine surgery failure are quite alarming? Recent studies show a first-time surgery has a failure rate of somewhere in the range of 10-46%. A second surgery has a nearly 70% failure rate. A third surgery has an 85% failure rate. A fourth surgery has a 95% failure rate.
The bottom line is you only seem to get one shot at surgery and any subsequent surgery has little chance of success. This is why I tell patients to save surgery as the absolute last resort. Seek out all the best non-surgical options first.
In one study patients were told they needed spine surgery. Before surgery they were all put into a strong program of chiropractic treatment. At the end of the study 60% of the patients who had been told they needed spine surgery no longer needed it. Chiropractic is a great option.
Chiropractic combined with spinal decompression therapy, high intensity laser therapy and custom orthotics from Foot Levelers is a winning combination. We consistently see a greater than 80% success rate for patients who in many cases would have otherwise ended up in surgery. If a program like this fails, then surgery may be an option, but don’t jump to surgery until you have attempted a strong program like this.