Thanks for dropping in! We have saved countless individuals from having back surgery. Perhaps you are one of them! If you are considering surgery for a chronic lower back problem please read on! If you know someone who may benefit from this information, please feel free to forward it!!!

From Minimal to Monstrous

Trends in back surgery for disc herniation and advanced arthritic damage over the years have favored the creation of increasingly minimally invasive techniques. The illustration above represents one end of the spectrum—spinal fusion with bone removal and metal hardwear visible in this post-surgical x-ray. On the less invasive, other end of the spectrum we have things like needle discectomy, where a very tiny incision is made to remove herniated disc material and no bone removed or hardware installed.

All surgical procedures for low back pain/disc herniation share the following downsides, which increase in magnitude with the higher levels of invasiveness in the surgical technique:

• High cost—ranging from 15 to 60 thousand dollars. Even if your have insurance coverage, you co-pay for procedures like these could still be in the thousands.

• Risk of complications like post-surgical infection.

• No guarantee of cure—risk of ‘failed back surgery syndrome.’ Many studies reflect poorly on the surgical outcomes.

• Relatively high risk of repeated surgery recommended, with poor prognosis.

There are around 400,000 back surgeries performed each year in the US, a great many of which I believe to be unnecessary given the availability of non-surgical remedies that are often overlooked.

Sometimes (though rarely in my opinion) surgery is all there is left to try, but should never be agreed to until all less risky options are explored. Most of the time folks end up with serious back trouble because of lumbar disc disease, like disc herniation. The truth is, disc damage will very often heal with time given the right approach.

Over my near 40 years of experience in helping folks overcome serious lower back problems, I have developed an approach that is effective in helping disc problems heal without surgery. The process involves a combination of in-office care and home-based self-help techniques all geared toward taking stress of the damaged tissue so that the body can utilize its natural ability to heal.

Self-Help

• home back decompression exercises (relieve stress on discs).

• home ice use (reduce swelling and inflammation).

• Modification of daily activities to reduce stress on the spine.

In-Office Care

• Chiropractic adjustments (re-align structure)

• Manual spinal decompression (traction)

• Mechanical spinal decompression (traction)

• exercise training

• lifestyle modification training

Below is a link to further discussion of disc issues, with an awesome before/after MRI image of a massive disc herniation that healed without surgery

https://erics-newsletter-1cf2b1.beehiiv.com/p/a-newsletter-from-dr-seiler-58b5

On the Level

In talking to thousands of folks over near 40 years in practice I have learned that practically nobody wants to have surgery…however hundreds of thousands of folks have back surgery annually, and many of these people may be unaware of non-surgical options that should be exhausted before agreeing to ‘go under the knife’. Please share this with someone you think it may help to make a better choice!

As always, thanks for reading along!

Until next time,

Blessings to you!