Normally, lower back pain is caused by degenerative disc disease. If your brother has already undergone physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, injection therapy and medications, he might be a candidate for surgery. It depends upon how many levels are involved, his desired lifestyle after surgery, his expectations and if a surgical workup indicates he is a candidate for surgery in the first place. There are spine surgeons that won’t do surgery for lower back pain and if he found one with that philosophy, he should look for another that will consider him for surgery. Check the website for a discussion of discograms which might be the next test he would need in the hands of another spine surgeon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
