Lower Back Pain Left Side: Is Fusion Surgery An Option?

It could strike at any time. The “It” that we refer to is debilitating ache (For many people this condition is experienced in a specific region such as lower back pain left side.) that takes away the enjoyment of participating in your favorite activities. It can happen while bending, twisting or simply picking up your kids or grandkids. It’s a hardship that afflicts far too many people—chronic lower back ache.

Each year, approximately six million Americans make initial visits to physicians because they are experiencing some degree of back soreness and nearly 500,000 of these people require hospitalization. In addition, industry studies estimate that medical costs for this condition are roughly $24 billion, with an additional $30 to $40 billion resulting from indirect costs, such as lost work time and workers’ compensation.

“It’s an affliction that has caused heartache and pain for centuries,” commented Gunnar Andersson, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. “Of the three areas of the spine, the lumbar or lower back assumes most of the weight-bearing activities, and therefore is most susceptible to injury.”

When people experience lower back pain left side or in any region of the lower back it is often associated with pressure or stress on the lumbar.

Fusion surgery—a procedure in which two or more vertebrae are fused together to eliminate motion in the discs and thus decrease or eliminate ache—is one option used to treat lower back pain.

“Fusion surgery has become so prevalent because it treats the condition of discogenic back ache in an obvious way,” said Dr. Nagy Mekhail, M.D., chairman of the Department of Pain Management at the Cleveland Clinic. “However, the healing time, cost and the reduced flexibility associated with fusion surgery makes alternate, less invasive options an important consideration in a patient’s continuum of care.”

You should consult your doctor for all available treatment options.