It used to be that if a person had a lot of back pain their doctor would recommend surgery to fix the problem. Following the surgery, the person would usually be on bed rest for a few weeks, and then, if all went well, their back would be better - unless it wasn’t. In the past, experts agree, there was too much back surgery done. Most people weren’t any better after the surgery, and many were worse. It certainly wasn’t a guaranteed way to eliminate back pain.

Now, research has shown that most back pain, even lower back pain, will resolve itself without surgery, given rest and time. In fact, for most back pain, all other options should be tried prior to scheduling surgery on the back. Less than one percent of all people ever actually need surgery for their back pain, though four out of every five people have back pain at some time in their life.

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