For the vast majority of Americans, their spine surgery would have been avoidable had they taken certain steps earlier in life. Obviously there are countless cases where a freak injury or a car accident requires an emergency surgery, but there are more elective spinal surgeries each year than emergency spine surgeries, and most elective operations could have been prevented with early intervention.
So what can you do now to stave off the need to have spine surgery later in life? We’re glad you asked, because that’s the focus of today’s blog.
What You Can Do To Avoid Spine Surgery
If you want to give yourself the best chance at avoiding a spinal operation later in life, try to follow these tips:
- Maintain A Healthy Weight – Natural spinal degeneration is one of the leading causes of elective spine surgery, and this degenerative process is sped up by excess weight. If you’re carrying extra weight, your spine is tasked with displacing this added stress, and oftentimes that ends up falling on your spinal discs. Maintaining a healthy weight or focusing on losing a few pounds can do wonders for both the short-term and long-term health of your spine.
- Exercise – It’s not enough just to maintain a healthy weight and avoid overstressing it, you also want to help develop key spinal structures if you hope to keep your back in tip-top shape. Your spine draws a lot of support from your core region, so don’t just focus on back muscles, also give your abdominals a workout to help improve spinal stability.
- Give Up Smoking – Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your long-term spinal health because smoking inhibits healthy blood flow. Your spinal discs rely on this blood flow to provide optimal cushioning, and if they are deprived of the necessary blood, these discs can lose their natural height and become more brittle. This will put you at a heightened risk for herniated discs, spinal disc fractures and vertebral segment shifting.
- Mind Your Posture – Your posture also plays a big role in your long-term spine health. You may not pay for slouching on the couch or being hunched over at your work computer in the moment, but this stress on your spine will add up over time. Really make it a point to conduct regular posture checks and correct your posture if you notice that you’re putting excess pressure on your spine.
- Regular Physicals – A standard physical may not spot a spinal tumor, but these appointments are a great way to bring up any concerns to your primary physician. What you may view as a minor symptom they may see as a sign of a bigger problem. Get yearly physicals and discuss any back issues you’re having with your primary care physician to catch problems before they snowball.
- Don’t Wait – That being said, don’t wait six months until your next physical to talk to a medical expert about your back pain. If you’re dealing with pain or discomfort, or something just feels off in your spine, set up an appointment with your primary care physician or a spine specialist. We can’t stress enough how important early intervention is treatment success, so don’t wait to see a doctor if you’re dealing with a spinal issue.
If you keep these tips in mind and lead an active lifestyle, we’re confident you’ll be doing everything you can to reduce your risk of elective spine surgery in the future. For assistance with any of these tips, or to talk to a back specialist about your spine pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
