Surgery
Most people who suffer back and neck pain struggle along on their own. But some visit an orthopedist for an appointment where the chief beneficiary is the doctor, who may bill $275 for an initial examination. In return for this, the physician often gives the patient nothing more than two prescription slips, one for drugs (which in some cases are ineffective or have unpleasant side effects, or both) and another providing a vague but expensive referral to physical therapy. If drugs and physical therapy don’t do the trick, some physicians recommend surgery.
Sometimes surgery is successful; sometimes it is not. All back and neck surgery is costly and requires a recovery period of several weeks, during which time most patients cannot go to work. Most surgery helps more than it hurts, but some operations reduce only some of a patient’s pain, and other surgeries are completely unsuccessful: range of motion is reduced and pain is not.
Physical therapists and chiropractors may bill $100 per appointment for several appointments a week over many consecutive months. The bill can easily mount well into the thousands of dollars. These well-meaning professionals may do little more than briefly reduce pain through what they call modalities, but which are nothing more sophisticated or effective than ice, heat, and ultrasound. And who has so much leisure time that he or she can easily find three hours a week for treatment, plus the time it takes to get to and from the therapist?
If you are a typical person suffering back pain, you have recurring pain. The attacks are not getting less frequent; they may even be occurring more often. They may be more disabling than they once were.
Or your problem may not be recurring, rather, it may be bothering you nearly every day, month after month, in which case it is chronic. Very likely, it has not responded well to physical therapy, chiropractic care, or medication
