Spine surgery is not always needed for back pain

Back pain is an extremely common complaint in this country. IN fact it is one of the most common reasons why people go to their doctor. Certainly employers know all about back pain — it is the second most common reason their workers give for not coming to work. In fact as many as 90 percent of us have had an episode of fairly serious back pain in our lifetime, and 50 percent of us have felt this more than once. Fortunately, however, back pain does not always have to result in spine surgery. So if you have pain in your lower back, don’t immediately assume the worse and think ’surgery’ and the big surgical bills the surgeon will send you if you have to go under his knife. Many back pains can be handled with exercise. I know this from personal experience. The one time I felt a stab of full-on back pain, it was treated with just a few days of dumb exercises!