When to See a Doctor
Most cases of back pain go away on their own in a few days. But if yours lasts more than a week, see a physician. Most of the time, the diagnosis will be muscle or ligament strain, which heals without treatment. But in about one in 10,000 cases, the culprit is a herniated disk (when the disks between spinal vertebrae bulge or burst open). If a damaged disk presses on the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down your leg, it can cause sciatica. Years ago, doctors automatically referred people with herniated disks or sciatica to surgeons, but recent research reveals that going under the knife may be unnecessary. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that while surgery helped patients feel better faster, they showed similar improvement after two years to those who received less invasive treatments, such as physical therapy. “Surgery should really be a last resort,” says spine surgeon Rahul Shah, M.D.
No comments:
Post a Comment