How do I know if I need surgery for my back pain?
This is a big, broad question that depends on several factors such as what symptoms you have, and the cause of your pain (e.g. disc problems, stability problems, age-related problems, etc). Here are a few things to consider:
What is your quality of life? Are you able to manage your pain? Are you able to work, do your hobbies, and perform normal daily tasks such as housework, walking the dog or playing with your children? If you are able to cope with your pain it may be worth allowing your body some more time to see if your symptoms can resolve without surgery.
What else have you tried? Surgery is a big decision that isn’t risk-free, and isn’t guaranteed to work; have you tried exercises, pain killers, conservative treatment such as massage, manipulation, injections, therapy (such as CBT and hypnotherapy), etc?
Are your symptoms changing? This is particularly important to keep track of if you have nerve-related symptoms such as numbness, tingling and loss of strength, if these are getting progressively worse - particularly loss of strength, then it may be time to consider surgery*.
Am I a suitable candidate for surgery? Current evidence doesn’t show reliable outcomes for back pain alone (without nerve symptoms), so even if a scan shows that you have a disc bulge for example, if you have back pain but no leg symptoms - you are more likely to have success with a physio, chiro, etc, than you are with surgery.
*symptoms including changes in sexual function, loss of bladder/bowel control and numbness in the genital area can be a sign of a serious condition that needs surgery ASAP, please tell your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing these symptoms.