PHYSICAL THERAPY or SURGERY?

Are There Quick Fixes for a Herniated Disc?

Why Pain Doesn’t Go Away After Herniated Disc Surgery 

Early this morning, just after we opened, the phone rang.

A tired voice, strained by pain, asked:
— Do you treat patients after surgery?.. I recently had a lumbar disc hernia removed…

This is not an isolated case. People regularly come to our centers after choosing a “quick fix” — surgery — hoping to solve in one step a problem that may have developed over many years.

Why Pain Remains After Surgery

Even though the herniated disc has been removed, the underlying cause of pain often remains.

The main reasons include:

• deep spinal muscles remain weak
• impaired microcirculation in surrounding tissues
• lack of a stable muscular support system
• incorrect load distribution on the spine persists
• inflammation may still be present and continue to cause pain

Surgery removes the consequence, but it does not restore function.

What Surgery Does Not Fix

Surgical intervention:

• does not strengthen the muscles that support the spine
• does not restore movement patterns altered over time
• does not reduce the daily overload on discs and joints

That is why pain may persist or return.

The Role of Physical Rehabilitation

Physical therapy is essential after surgery.

But the key question is:
👉 why not start it before surgery, to potentially avoid it altogether and prevent future complications?

Facts

• only about 5% of herniated disc cases truly require surgery
• up to 95% of back pain cases (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)
  can be successfully treated with physical therapy

Conclusion

Back pain is not just a disc problem.

It is a problem of:

• lack of a functional muscular support system (deep spinal muscles)
• unbalanced movement patterns
• overload (including inactivity)

And this is what needs to be addressed systematically.

What to Do

• avoid self-treatment
• do not rely on “quick fixes”
• consult a specialist
• complete a structured physical therapy program

At “Spine Ambulatory”

We work with the cause, not just the symptoms.

Our comprehensive approach helps to:

• relieve pain
• restore healthy movement
• prevent recurrence

📍 Kyiv: Obolon, Pozniaky, Teremky-2

⚠️ Self-treatment may be harmful to your health.