“Do spinal injuries eventually need surgery?”
Last year, I got into a really bad car accident that injured my spinal cord. Since then I've been in physical rehab to help heal it, along with steroids, but I still feel pain. Would I need to have surgery to treat this?
5 Answers
Sometimes surgery is necessary. You need MRI of the spine for diagnostic workup.
It is best to consult with a neurosurgeon regarding your specific condition and whether surgery would be appropriate or not. That would be a decision based on your radiographic findings, age and other risk factors
No. Surgery is only necessary for neurologic deficits from nerve/spinal cord compression, or pain with movement from instability that does not heal with nonsurgical treatment. If you don't have one of those, then surgery is not necessary.
Yes there are surgeries for chronic pain but you need to make sure no infection or instability needs to be addressed first.
It would depend on the current imaging studies and your current exam. Surgery may be an option but is a case-by-case decision.
