A Book You Must Have

  

"It's amazing how much evidence there is that [spinal] fusions don't work, yet surgeons do them anyway."  

Sohail Mirza, MD, Chairman, Department of Orthopaedics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire.

Back surgery has failed so often, it has become a new "disease" category – Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.

• Find out why most spinal fusion procedures end in failure.
• Do you know the risks and potential complications of back surgery?
• Is your surgeon a board certified specialist?
• Find out why conservative treatment is a better and SAFER choice.

Buy the book now at Amazon.


Give a copy to a friend or loved one to help him or her avoid the risks and complications described in the book.

                                                       

Avoid Back Surgery

Book Description

For those individuals contemplating surgery for relief of their back pain, this new book (available on Amazon) has got to be number one on your required reading list.  In Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare, you’ll discover some of the outrageous practices and procedures currently in use:

Complicated spinal fusion surgery – in most cases unnecessary; 

Painful, therapeutic injections – unproven and unreliable; 

Invasive, diagnostic tests – of questionable value, often dangerous; 

Excessive imaging studies – defensive medico-legal tactics.

Special attention is given to the controversial use of spinal fusion – a complex, expensive procedure with a low rate of success.  The reasons for this operation are explained and its risks and complications are described in detail.

Back surgery patients are not often told about the injurious complications following spinal surgery – complications such as:

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Back surgery has failed so frequently; it’s now a legitimate “disease” category.

Continued Pain After Surgery

The reason for this common complaint is that the wrong spinal segment was operated on.  Pressure on the offending nerve was never relieved.  Or worse, it was further irritated by the surgical procedure.

Faulty Placement of Artificial Discs

Improper insertion of an artificial disc can split the underlying vertebral body into dangerous, migrating fragments.

Wrong-Site Surgery

Disastrous consequences result when the surgeon operates on the wrong part of the body, the wrong patient or uses the wrong procedure.

Broken Hardware

Implanted screws, rods and metal plates can bend, break and become dislocated, damaging adjacent nerves and blood vessels.  Broken hardware is a sure sign of joint motion and subsequent failed fusion.

These and other surgical risks are described in Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare.

Benjamin Goode, ASFA, is a Senior Fitness Consultant, medical writer, and educator. He’s a strong advocate of patients’ rights and skeptical when it comes to the alleged benefits of the many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures now in vogue.  He believes that since acute low back pain is a self-limiting condition and because scientific evidence shows that both conservative and invasive treatments produce the same results after two years, spinal surgery – with all its risks and complications – is not a rational first choice.

The author is optimistic in his view of the advantages of conservative (non-invasive) treatment of acute, low back pain.  In the Chapter: A Winning Strategy,

he describes the benefits, safety and success of a recommended program of medication, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare can help you navigate through a maze of ill-defined diagnostic categories, conflicting, pain-causing conditions, and controversial surgical procedures.  It lists important questions you should ask your surgeon before he operates.  It will provide you with the information you’ll need so that if and when you sign that “Informed Consent” release, you will be truly informed.

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Benjamin Goode, ASFA is a Senior Fitness Consultant, medical writer and educator. He has had more than twenty years’ experience writing and editing patient information materials in orthopedic surgery, sports injuries and rehabilitation.

In 1972, Mr. Goode and Dr. William A. Sinton founded and published the American Journal of Sports Medicine – the first professional American journal dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of sports-related injuries.  This journal is now the official journal of The American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

“I’ve now turned my attention to the important role of exercise in the maintenance and enhancement of musculoskeletal health in an aging population.”

Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare

Dear Reader:  My book, Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare will be out very soon.  It's a must read for anyone contemplating back surgery of any kind – especially spinal fusion.  The fact is, they don't work.  In far too many cases, back pain persists or even gets worse long after surgery.  A second operation is almost always needed.

The following statement appears in the book:  "Goode is a strong advocate of patients’ rights and skeptical when it comes to the alleged benefits of many new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures now in vogue.  He believes tht since acute low back pain is a self-limiting condition and because scientific evidence shows that both conservative and invasive treatments produce the same results after two years, spinal surgery – with its risks and complications – is not a rational first choice."


Another quote from the Head of Orthopaedics, Dartmouth Medical School:  “ It’s amazing how much evidence there is that fusions don’t work, yet surgeons do them anyway.”  Sohail Mirza, MD, Chairman, Department of Orthopaedics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire.


The book will be available on this site, Amazon, Booklocker and other online booksellers' sites.

The Most Important Exercises

No fitness program is complete without core-strengthening exercises.  It’s the most important set of exercises in your entire routine.  A strong and well-balanced core allows you to do all your other exercises and get the most benefit out of them.

The Heart of the Core – the deep muscles of the transverse abdominals – wraps around the trunk like a corset.  It attaches the lower ribs, diaphragm, and lumbar spine to the hips In effect, it ties the rib cage and upper body to the pelvis and lower body.  It keeps you firmly “connected.”  It also stabilizes the body, protects the spinal column and provides support for the various physical activities we perform.
Read about the importance of strengthening the core muscles in Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare.

Major muscles of the core are shown above.  They include muscles of the pelvic floor, lower back and diaphragm (not shown).  When you do your core exercises, these are the muscles strengthened. 

A. Serratus anterior;  B. Transverse abdominal;  C. Internal oblique;  D.  External oblique;  

E.  Aponeurosis of the ext. oblique;  F.  Linea alba;  G. Tendinous insertion;  H.  Rectus abdominus.

Think Twice About Spinal Fusion Surgery

If you’re thinking about having back surgery, you should know that  spinal fusion surgery is a risky procedure that’s most likely to fail. It has failed so often, it has become associated with a special, diagnostic category – Failed Back Surgery Syndrome  (FBSS).  This means that the vertebral bones operated upon have failed to heal, solid fusion has failed to occur, back pain will continue unrelieved and, more often than not, you’ll need another operation.

 

Many knowledgeable physicians and surgeons have studied the issue.  What do they have to say about the risks vs. benefits of spinal fusion surgery?

“It’s amazing how much evidence there is that fusions don’t work, yet surgeons do them anyway.”  Sohail Mirza, MD, Chairman, Department of Orthpaedics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire.

“... among patients having surgery for degenerative disc disease, those who had spinal fusion surgery had nearly twice the rate of reoperations compared to those who did not have surgery ...”  Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH, University of Washington, School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

"This procedure is offered to improve pain and function, yet objective outcomes showed increased permanent disability, poor return to work status, and higher doses of opioids."

Dr. Trang H. Nguyen of University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Don’t let your back pain drive you to the spine surgeon.  Lumbar pain is a self-limiting condition and you’ll eventually recover without any treatment whatsoever.  If the pain persists after 6 weeks, find a good physical therapist.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends conservative treatment for those who suffer chronic low back pain.  This includes restricted bed rest (not to exceed two days), continued activities, medication and rehabilitation (which can include chiropractic care).  Read all the details about the risks and complications of back surgery and the superior benefits of conservative treatment in my new book (soon to be published) Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare by Benjamin Goode.