I have been told I have a slipped disc in my lower back. My doctor says I need surgery. I am 44 year old and have mild to moderate pain but can work. Should I go for it?

Prolapsed discs are very common in our society; at least 5% of the population has prolapsed disc but not all of these people have symptoms. In some cases , prolapsed disc may cause pain which runs down the buttocks. In the majority of cases, this pain will settle down with non-surgical treatments. Surgery is only recommended in people who are in a hurry to recover and do not want to be bothered with exercise and/or a weight loss program. However, you should know that the results of surgery are not great. The majority of patients turn out to be worse. My advice is that you should exercise, lose weight and keep away from back surgeons- unless you want a life of intense pain and remain disabled for the rest of your life.

I was recently referred to a chiropractor who suggested that I undergo spinal manipulation to get rid of my low back pain? Do these therapies work?

Low back pain is a big money maker and thus, many health care professionals have opened up back and pain clinics all over the country. Now the chiropractors have come up with their own treatments because they can’t not prescribe medications. Chiropractors offer spinal manipulations for treat almost every medical disorder under the sun. Cochrane reviews has looked at many of these therapies and found that spinal manipulations is no better than physical therapy, medication or exercise. Moreover, chiropractic spinal manipulations have to be undertaken for many weeks and each session can cost anywhere from $75-$200. Best advice- start your own exercise program, swim, walk, lose weight and stop smoking. This is still the cheapest, safest and most effective way to treat back pain- no gimmicks and no scams.

My surgeon says I should try out chemonucleolysis for my lower back pain. Should i go for it?

Run, away from this bum of a surgeon. Chemonucleolysis has never been proven to be an effective therapy for prolapsed disc It is a waste of money, can cause more problems and the surgeon can even mess up your back. After chemonucleolysis, the majority of people have recurrence of back pain within weeks. The procedure has only one benefit- it only enriches surgeons and is at best considered to be bogus treatment. So far there are no solid data that the treatment works. In fact, the treatment is so bad that it is not even performed today. So if your surgeon is still doing it, he/she must be full of S..T.