If you are a football fan, or have just been watching the news, you have heard that one of the longest streaks in NFL history is about to be broken. No, it's not for something good, like the all time rushing record or touchdown record, it's for something that a lot of professional athletes take a lot of pride in - CONSISTENCY. And it's not that there will be a NEW all-time record holder - just the opposite because the streak is coming to an end for ALL THE WRONG REASONS. Peyton Manning, the QB for the Indianapolis Colts, has one of the longest streaks in history for "consecutive games played". He is widely considered an IRON MAN for his ability to avoid the injury bug. In fact, he has not missed starting a football game since he was a freshman in college. Pretty impressive, huh?
Unfortunately, Peyton is now experiencing what MILLIONS OF AMERICANS go through every year. It's called "Failed Back Surgery Syndrome". At the end of last season, Manning, who had previously had a surgery that didn't work, went back under the knife for a more INVASIVE surgery which his doctors told him "would fix the problem". However, not only did the procedure NOT FIX THE PROBLEM it created MORE NEUROLOGICAL problems. Sadly, depending on the research you choose to read, this happens 70-90% of the time. Even with more money then most people will ever have, and with the "best" doctors at his disposal - Peyton has succumbed to the same disastrous reality that we see in our office EVERY DAY. The truth is that surgery very rarely helps and very often creates more permanent problems then the condition it was supposed to treat. It can cause direct damage, like in Manning's case, or it can create future damage because once the spine is operated on it accelerates the break down of spine above and below the surgery location. The medical statistics speak for themselves ---- if you read my newsletter a few weeks ago you already know this.
SO WHAT'S THE LESSON HERE???? DON'T GET SURGERY UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE LAST RESORT AND YOU HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN!!
It's simple - your body is a truly incredible living machine. It was designed intelligently and will operate intelligently as long as it is functioning the right way. However, if it is not working the right way, it will break down and develop damage and disease. When this happens you will almost always get a warning signal. For this particular case the warning is PAIN. Pain is not our enemy, it is a warning signal to your conscious mind that things are breaking down. When this happens you have two choices: first, you can look at the pain as "THE" problem and take pills, lotions and patches to "mask" the symptom OR....... you can find out WHAT is causing the pain and deal with it. The former is the "quick-fix" method, but as with all quick fix's the future is bleak because the CAUSE of the condition was never handled (think of the recent floods our poor neighbors have had to deal with). Dealing with the problem is different in that you are asking 2 IMPORTANT questions - what is "causing" my problem and what can be done to fix it. If you want a BETTER future you will CORRECT the problem as soon as possible before it results in permanent damage and you have no other choice, but surgery.
Today, a long time patient came in for treatment. She told us of a co-worker who had surgery on his spine less then a year ago and now ALL OF HIS PROBLEMS ARE BACK AND GETTING WORSE. She stated that they are recommending another surgery (can you imaging??). SO, IF YOU HAVE A FRIEND........ BE A FRIEND....you know what I am going to say - HELP THEM! Before it's too late. Our clinic offers the most advanced therapies ANYWHERE to help heal the condition and prevent surgery. From state of the art Physical Therapy, to Spinal Decompression, to Class 4 Deep Tissue Laser .... and now, Pain Management with Dr. Gamburg, we have a comprehensive approach to almost any physical problem you can throw at us. Every year we are on the look out for new, advanced therapies that we can add to our clinic to help us with our goal of preventing pain and surgery. If there is anything more we can do for you, or if you have a family member, friend or co-worker who needs help all you have to do is ASK. We are here to help.
Watching your Back, Dr. Brad
