According to a CBS News report....Spinal Fusions done too often

Well Jim if they had asked us we could have told them that a long time ago. The years I have spent here have seen more failed fusions then successes and the 25 years working Ortho/Neuro showed me nothing different. It's actually staggering to see the numbers yet when the pains constant, relentless, and life altering we will honestly grasp onto to any small amount of hope will we not? Yes again I've been witness to failed fusions causing more pain, increased issues with broken hardware, lengthy recuperation periods, and far longer post-op difficulty then we were assured of.

Want to see the facts at hand try a forum search on spinal fusions and I think it will shock you.

One thing to think about as well is that not everyone has the same definition of "success" or "failure."

Someone may feel their sx failed because they can't do what they want to do, or could do 10 years prior.

Someone may feel their sx succeeded because while they've lost ROM and there may be some other after effects, that surgery actually saved them from losing control of their bladder, bowels and legs.

To some degree, I believe it's personal perception and attitude.

I think both Vickie and Susie nailed it with regards to how people manage their bodies after surgery. I know this because I was a tough nut to crack,....but it sank in.

I think doctors are at times giving patients unrealistic healing time frames, or not explaining what that entails,...telling someone 8 weeks, and 8 weeks the person tries to return to work, go snowboarding, or mining. Who's to say.

We always hear how everyone's different, but it's up to us to understand and comprehend what the definitions are of the terms being thrown out at us before we undergo any procedure, and before we begin our healing post-op.








M.

This is definitely me...my spinal fusion which was performed in 2009 as caused me to have failed back surgery syndrome and I had to have another done in 2012 due to the fact that the doctor that performed the first did such a back job on my back which caused me to become a chronic pain patient today. I wish that if I could turn back the hands of time when I was first offered this surgery as a last resort of solutions, that I would have not had it done. I would have rather dealt with the L4 L5 disk pain than to have the type of quality of life that this surgery has left me with. People please do your research first before allowing these greedy doctors who do not have your real care in mind but only see dollars signs to add to their bank accounts.

One thing I will add to the mix here is a good dr will not ever tell a patient their pain will be better with surgery. A good surgeon will say the pain may get better, stay the same or get worse. If one ever says oh your pain will get better, you better run as fast as you can away from that dr because he has no clue what he is talking about & you sure would not want him as a surgeon. They have no way of knowing whether the pain will get better.

I question the spine surgeries using all of the metal hardware & unfortunately this is how all of the surgeries are being done. The body was not made with this hardware & I question the failed surgeries on the body actually rejecting the hardware. This is just my thoughts from seeing actual friends that have gone that route & did not improve. On the other hand I have friends that have done well with surgery. It's a mixed bag at best.

500,000, wow! 10,000 per state per day? or was global? even still wow! NICK