Good Reasons to Avoid Spinal Surgery

Good Reasons to Avoid Spinal Surgery

There are times in life when surgery is definitely going to be needed but it should always be the last resort. There are so many complications and side effects from surgery.  When the body is cut into and damaged it will react, sometimes adversely, thus causing more problems than the patient started out with. Sometimes the reactions to surgery are subtle and only noticed years down the road when much larger symptoms from the surgery show up.

The spinal cord conducts all of the bodily functions. The brain sends a signal down the nerve channels to monitor and control the body's systems. When one messes with the spinal cord one is taking a big risk of affecting (adversely) some normal function of the body.

The Chiropractor exists for the sole purpose of putting the spine and joints of the body back into proper alignment so the body can correct and repair itself and fight off illnesses and disease. It is the fundamental belief of the Chiropractic profession that when the body is aligned properly that it will then function in a way to heal itself all on its own devices. 

The point: When the spine is aligned the nervous system is aligned and the body functions better.

Here are some complications from spinal surgery:

1. Sometimes the bones and joints operated on in a surgery do not actually heal back as they are expected to and that results in continued pain. The body compensates and fights back against surgical, invasive operations and doesn't always just heal up lickety split like we want.

2. Once one area of the spine is operated on it can adversely affect other areas of the spine and the body in a cascading, domino effect. One cannot cut his/her finger and expect the injury is only going to affect the finger. The body starts compensating immediately when one area of the body is injured (operated on).

3. There is always a risk of having more injury to your spine during surgery. So many things can go wrong in a surgery on the spine - it is a delicate procedure and even when done perfectly can sometimes result in injury. No surgeon will ever guarantee surgical results as it is impossible to tell how the body will react. Chiropractors cannot guarantee a complete recovery either - as the body is a complicated thing and our lives and activities are complicated things as well. 

4. Sexual dysfunction, chronic headaches, tingling extremities, organ failure.  As pointed out in point #2 above the spine affects so many other areas of the body. If the spine doesn't heal properly it can cause sexual dysfunction. The sexual organs don't get the signals they need and thus don't work as well or shut down entirely.  Also, an organ like the liver may cease to operate optimally. Or the heart may not function quite as well as it once did. Sometimes the lungs don't quite "breath" like they should after a surgery. The nerve channels of the body affect the body and injuring them...can cause far more future problems than one ever expected.  Sometimes the severe pain is too much and one can overlook these adverse affects of the surgery but they should be noted so one knows what they are getting into by having spinal surgery done.

5. Implants, splices, etc can all react differently from one person to the next. Some implants have been known to migrate and move out of position and then cause even more pain and result in future need for more surgeries. Not all transplants of body material last. This means more need for future operations. The hardware that holds the implants and new material in place can also sometimes shift and cause the need for more surgery. The body is a moving thing (inside and out) and everything in the body is prone to getting moved.

6. Infections. Although infections are rare in spinal surgeries there is always the risk, when the body is exposed, that it can become infected.  Usually antibiotics and other drugs are administered prior to and after a surgery to keep the risk of infection down but there is always a risk of infection during surgery. An infection in the spinal area is definitely not something to consider.

7. Side effects of medication or anesthesia. There are side effects to every drug (increased heart rate, decreased metabolism, thinning of the blood, dizziness, etc). Some anesthetics used in spinal surgery can cause the lungs to not properly function. Some people have allergic reactions to anesthetics or drugs used in surgery or during recovery time. Some medications thin the blood out too much and thus healing is prolonged or internal bleeding causes complications. Patients die all the time from too much anesthesia or the wrong kind of anesthesia. Unfortunately, there is no 100% certainty on how patients will react to a drug.

8. The body tries and heals itself after surgery by clotting of the blood to heal the "operated on" areas. Sometimes the clotted blood can break loose and get into other vital areas of the body and shut them down resulting in more surgeries and more need for drugs.

Sometimes surgery is the only option left to a person in order for them to have a chance at a productive or longer life. That point is definitely noted and the only message I'd like to convey in this blog is that we should resort to surgery only as the last resort as there are so many risks involved.  Especially when operating on a vital area like the spine - every other viable option should be tried first.

I cannot imagine getting up every morning and being in pain all day and being hunched over and miserable 24/7. I know there are people like this. I am merely promoting the idea that we try every non-invasive, natural means possible before resorting to spinal surgery. I am sure that most spinal surgeons would agree with me on this point as well.

If you are in the Bellevue Washington area and are considering spinal surgery, hip surgery, or some other kind of joint or bone surgery I would be more than happy to consult you in person, free of charge on what other options you may have available to you. My office number is 425-802-5432 and our website is www.chiropractorbellevue.org.

Have a healthy and long life.

-Dr. Edward Owens