Treatment options

Many symptoms can be treated without surgery through rest, heat, ice, medication, injections and physical therapy. It is important to speak with a physician about the available options. If symptoms do not improve with conservative treatment, physicians may recommend spinal surgery.

 

This website provides general information about non-surgical and surgical options. It is not meant to replace any personal conversations that you might wish to have with your physician or healthcare team. Not all the information here will apply to your individual treatment or its outcome.

Nonsurgical options

Patients have a wide variety of pain management therapies, ranging from simple exercises to advanced pain management techniques. Because the underlying cause of chronic back or leg pain varies from patient to patient, there is not one complete solution.

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Finding relief may take time, and you may need to explore multiple therapies to discover which works best for you. Using several different therapies together is generally thought to yield the best outcome.1–3 One of the best therapies for living with chronic back or leg pain may be distraction. Try not to let the pain overwhelm you and, instead, stay active at work and home as much as you can.

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Finding relief may take time, and you may need to explore multiple therapies to discover which works best for you. Using several different therapies together is generally thought to yield the best outcome.1–3 One of the best therapies for living with chronic back or leg pain may be distraction. Try not to let the pain overwhelm you and, instead, stay active at work and home as much as you can.


Exercise

Stabilization exercises strengthen trunk and pelvic muscles, correcting muscular imbalances that can cause back pain.

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Your physician may refer you to a physical therapist who can develop a program tailored to your needs. Stay active, since prolonged inactivity can exacerbate pain. Yoga, walking and stretching are a few forms of exercise that may provide benefit.

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Your physician may refer you to a physical therapist who can develop a program tailored to your needs. Stay active, since prolonged inactivity can exacerbate pain. Yoga, walking and stretching are a few forms of exercise that may provide benefit.

Reduce stress

It may take some creative thinking on your part but identifying and reducing sources of constant stress in your life can help reduce pain.

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Pay attention to your relationships with others—seek counseling or support as needed. Fostering social interactions through support groups and maintaining a positive outlook are good coping strategies.

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Pay attention to your relationships with others—seek counseling or support as needed. Fostering social interactions through support groups and maintaining a positive outlook are good coping strategies.

Pain specialists

Pain clinics assess your level of pain and loss of function, applying a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.

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Medication, as well as massage therapy or acupuncture may be recommended by your physician. Additionally, epidural steroid injections or nerve blocks are sometimes given in an effort to provide pain relief.

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Medication, as well as massage therapy or acupuncture may be recommended by your physician. Additionally, epidural steroid injections or nerve blocks are sometimes given in an effort to provide pain relief.

Surgical options

If nonsurgical treatment does not provide relief, then minimally disruptive spine surgery may be an option for you to consider. Surgery is typically reserved for those who do not gain relief from non-operative forms of treatment, whose symptoms are increasing or worsening or who present with a spinal condition which indicates the need for surgery.

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Some disorders that once required open surgery can now be treated with less invasive procedures. Less Invasive Surgery enables your surgeon to use techniques and accompanying technologies designed to reduce the size of your incision, reduce your length of stay at the hospital and potentially reduce the risk of intraoperative complications. Clinical data suggests that LIS may result in better patient outcomes in relation to traditional open procedures.4–8

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Some disorders that once required open surgery can now be treated with less invasive procedures. Less Invasive Surgery enables your surgeon to use techniques and accompanying technologies designed to reduce the size of your incision, reduce your length of stay at the hospital and potentially reduce the risk of intraoperative complications. Clinical data suggests that LIS may result in better patient outcomes in relation to traditional open procedures.4–8

Speak to a patient ambassador

In addition to consulting with your physician and medical teams, it may help to speak to someone who has experienced similar challenges. Our patient ambassadors are dedicated to sharing their stories of hope by interacting over the phone with patients like them. Contact us to get started.