Let’s get one thing straight…
We love surgeons.
Surgeons fix broken hearts, help transplanted organs find their new home, mend shattered bones, and do a thousand other procedures that help keep us healthy and whole. But as we will see, some surgeons feel that the only treatment for chronic pain is a surgical procedure. Even simple problems are often addressed with a scalpel and stitch rather than more conservative methods.
Why the sudden jump to surgery?
A 2017 survey of physicians associated with the American Medical Association revealed that practitioners felt that nearly 21 percent of all medical care they offered was unnecessary. Their reasons?
- 84 percent based their treatment decisions on a fear of malpractice.
- 70 percent felt that physicians as a whole were more likely to perform unnecessary procedures if they profited from them.
- 59 percent based their treatment on patient requests or patient pressure.
Keep in mind, these claims are made by physicians themselves, not practitioners of alternative therapies.
Astonishing as it is, the vast majority of the medical community feels that one-fifth of all procedures, including surgeries, are unnecessary. With statistics like that, it’s no wonder that medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the US.
There is an Alternative to Surgery
Whether you are experiencing carpal tunnel syndrome from a repetitive use injury or have persistent low back pain from a “slipped” or “rupture” disc, surgery is not your only option for pain relief. From acute injuries to chronic conditions, one of the best alternatives to surgery is chiropractic care and the subsequent therapies offered at high-end wellness clinics.
Chiropractic Care
In short, pain is a signal sent to your brain that something is wrong in your body. However, too often, back, neck and shoulder pain do not come from an acute injury. Over time, aches and pains become more persistent, almost without our notice, until we are suddenly disabled by a painful back. Chiropractic care will restore motion and improve the alignment of the spine and other joints so there is no longer interference with the nerves. Once freed to communicate effectively, nerves stop sending pain signals to the brain and the body functions the way it was intended to.
Spinal Decompression
When it comes to your intervertebral discs (the tough, thick cushions between the bones of your spine), surgery is not always successful. 8 percent of patients who have surgery to repair these discs have a second surgery within two years. 20 percent have a second procedure within 10 years. Worst of all, failed back surgery has become an official diagnosis for how often it occurs. Want to avoid the risk and achieve real healing? Spinal decompression may be the answer. Using state-of-the-art computer programs and counterweights, patients simply lay down on a decompression table with a belt strapped to their waist. Over the course of 15 minutes, the spine is stretched, allowing the discs to return to their proper place and begin healing. Many patients report an immediate effect on their pain and most achieve total healing without ever going under the knife.
Deciding on surgery is a personal issue, one that should not be taken lightly. But don’t you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to explore non-surgical treatments first? Call Sandstone Chiropractic today at 281-203-0070 or schedule online for a consultation and find more about our non-surgical, non-invasive treatment options.
