What to Ask Your Doctor Before Spine Surgery

June 25, 2019

If your doctor has recommended spine surgery, you should still understand your treatment options. A spine surgery Florida specialist will help clarify your concerns. Here are a few questions to ask your spine surgeon:

Why do I need the surgery?

This will tell you about the doctor’s diagnosis of your condition and how the surgery is intended to correct it. Keep in mind that there could be different reasons for surgery, such as relieving pain, restoring movement, or addressing other issues.

Are there any alternatives?

Surgery is usually the last resort. If it is an option, your doctor will usually recommend other options like physical therapy. Explore all other non-surgical options beforehand.

What happens if I don’t get surgery?

The doctor will give you the prognosis of the condition, and from there you can make a more well-informed decision on what is best for your situation.

What are the risks?

Every surgery has some risks, although an experienced spinal surgeon can reduce the chances of anything negative happening.

Have you treated patients like me?

This will give you a good indication of the surgeon’s experience with spine surgery in Florida.

How to Prevent Lower Back Pain

June 25, 2019

Back pain is just as common as it is inconvenient. Typically, back pain is caused by bybad lifestyle choices, such as obesity from eating excess junk food, or lack of exercise. Luckily, if the pain is minor, there are ways to relieve it. Many lower back pain West Palm Beach specialists have varying things that they recommend to their patients to prevent back pain.

Many people will assume that exercise is a fast solution for back pain; however, experts advise against this if you do not know the proper way to do it because certain high-impact and weight-bearing exercises can be damaging when done without supervision.

Here are other ways to potentially help back pain:

Maintain good posture: Having bad posture affects the condition of your back in the long term. While sitting or standing, keep your frame upright without being too stiff. Your posture should be comfortable, but not slouchy. Also, avoid heels when standing or walking.

Keep a healthy weight: Excess weight puts extra pressure on the spine, particularly the lower spine, which leads to lower back pain. Hence, you must maintain a healthy weight by following a balanced diet and a regular exercise regimen.

Sleeping: Avoid both extra soft and extra hard mattresses. Both can be equally damaging. Most experts in lower back pain West Palm Beach recommend a medium firm mattress that gives support to your spine without causing discomfort.

Bending/lifting: Avoid lifting very heavy objects. Be careful when lifting an object, especially when you bend over. Do not stoop over to pick up; instead, bend your knees.

Do You Need Surgery for Your Lower Back Pain?

June 24, 2019

If you are experiencing lower back pain and do not get it checked out, you may suffer from permanent damage. Finding the cause of your pain is the only way you can get a proper treatment your back. In the beginning, you can try therapeutic treatments to relieve your lower back pain; however, if non-surgical treatments are not working, then you should visit a specialist to explore the options you have.

Before deciding on spine surgery, you should understand the scope of surgery, the risks, and the recovery period. You will find a good spine surgeon in your area who can give you the best assessment of your case. After talking to the spine surgeon, you should have more knowledge of spine surgery and whether it is the best course of action for your situation.

If you are suffering from lower back pain West Palm Beach, it will be in your best interest to find a specialist that can help you gain the knowledge necessary to make a well-informed decision.

Thinking of Going for Spinal Surgery for Treatment of Back Pain?

June 21, 2019

Although there have been tremendous improvements in the quality of surgical procedures for the treatment of back pain in recent times, it is advisable that you keep surgery as a last resort of treatment if all other methods fail to yield any positive results. Since the spine is the most critical support mechanism of the body, even a slight injury could have life-altering consequences for the affected person. Severe complications can cause partial paralysis of a body part to complete paralysis of the entire body.

When you think of going for spine surgery in Florida, it is best to explore all the other non-invasive methods of treatment as well. You could consider therapeutic massages or physiotherapy sessions to get rid of the nagging back pain. If these techniques don’t offer desired relief, you could also visit a chiropractor, which may give you positive results in a relatively short period of time.

However, if none of these methods provide you with the desired relief from pain, then going for a spine surgery might be your only option left. Before you decide about a spine surgeon, take into consideration these two most critical aspects of surgery: The chances of success and the nature of the surgery that will be required to treat your spinal condition.

4 Home Remedies for Managing Lower Back Pain

June 21, 2019

Temporary lower back pain is a common thing. Many people experience it and at some point, the pain will subside on its own. However, even for minor back pains, you should still visit a professional that specializes in lower back pain West Palm Beach. Despite receiving professional care, you should still have ways to manage lower back pain at home. Here are some possible and true ways to relieve back pain:

Ice it: Use an ice pack within the first 24 to 48 hours after the injury. Although a warm pack may seem more relaxing, the chill reduces the inflammation. Apply the ice pack for about 20 minutes and then remove it to give your skin some rest. You can continue this for some time. Switch to heat after 48 hours. If the pain continues, visit your doctor.

Change your footwear: Look for the right shoes with proper cushioning and avoid high heels. The wrong pair of heels puts weight on your lower back when you are walking or standing still, further aggravating the pain.

Keep moving: Back pain may seem like the perfect reason to take it easy and sit down, but experts recommend that you should keep moving. Your back needs exercise, such as walking, swimming and bicycling. However, do not overdo your activity because you can end up further damaging your back.

Maintain your weight: All Lower back pain West Palm Beach specialists agree on one critical factor — maintaining your weight. Our weight is supported by our spine and excessive weight puts pressure on it, particularly the lower back.