The Guthrie Spine Center

Slow Recovery From Back Pain

If your recovery from back pain is taking longer than expected, special tests may be needed to determine why your recovery from back pain is taking longer than expected. The tests may include blood tests, or an imaging study such as an MRI or CT scan to view your spine. A nerve test called an electromyelogram (EMG) may also help identify certain leg problems. The chances are good that your problem will not be serious – low back problems have a serious cause in only one person out of 200. Imaging studies are seldom used alone, and the decision to perform surgery to correct a back problem is never based on imaging studies alone. Before deciding whether imaging studies are needed, your health care provider will review your physical examination results carefully and will discuss the results and your options with you thoroughly.

When is surgery a choice?

If your back symptoms affect your legs and are not getting better, a herniated lumbar disc (what many people call a "slipped disc") may be the reason. The disc can press on a nerve root in your back and can either irritate the nerve or affect its function. If tests show strong evidence that this is happening, surgery to take the pressure off of the nerve may speed your recovery. If surgery is presented to you as an option, ask about your choices: What test results indicate that surgery could help me? In what ways could this surgery benefit me? Will the condition worsen if I do not have surgery? What are the risks involved in surgery? Seeking a second opinion before having surgery is often a good idea.*

*This information is reprinted from:

Bigos S, Bower O, Braen G. et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. AHCPR Publication No. 95-0642. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. December 1994.