The biggest predictor of lumbar surgery is what doctor you see first.

Even Mayo Clinic admits that “back surgery is needed in only a small percentage of cases. Most back problems can be taken care of with nonsurgical treatments…, while  “back pain is extremely common..surgery often fails to relieve it.”

So why do so many patients have spinal surgery?  A very recent research revealed that occupational or workplace-related injuries (within three years of injury) can be predicted as to what care will be  recommended, and there is very little evidence that the choice is related to improved outcomes.  The study found that a worker with a back injury who visited a surgeon (orthopedic, neurologist or general) were 43% more likely to receive spine surgery.  If the worker’s first visit was to a chiropractor than it was least likely – only 1.5 percent –  that the patient would have surgery. And those who were under the age of 35, female, and Hispanics were less likely to have lumbar spine surgery.

This study again adds to the long list of workplace-related studies which have shown chiropractic to be a superior health option.

Patients with back injuries and conditions such as herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome and even failed back surgery can be successfully treated – without surgery – with the DRS Protocol®™.  This protocol was developed by Dr. Richard E Busch III of Busch Chiropractic Pain Center,  and it is drug-free and pain-free.