Question: I have 3 herniated discs in my spine and have had steroid injections to deal with the pain. I do daily exercises my doctor recommended and am not overweight. But I am not getting better. Is it time to consider surgery?
Dr. Hibberd's answer:
Non-traumatic Multi-level disc disease is not usually treated surgically. If any surgery is proposed, it usually would be a minimally invasive laser in select circumstances because the laser procedures are themselves not without risk.
Steroid injections do not heal, but they do provide a means for pain control. I advise you return to your physician for review of options available to you. If you are not satisfied, you may always ask for a referral to a spine surgery center for a review of your options.
Often these centers will provide these reviews after they have seen a copy of your MRI, just to save you a wasted visit. Many physicians tend to favor conservative management of non-traumatic multi-level disc disease because of more favorable long-term results with less risk of complications.
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