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By Jason

BACK PAIN: Will having surgery get you off pills?

With so many people wanting to get off pills, will this be an answer?

Hey All!

Today I want to talk about if having surgery for back pain will fix your pain and get you off painkillers. Especially opioids AKA the strongest pain killers the doctors can give.

Often by the time we finally do something about our back pain it has progressed and no longer simple. Often it becomes a complex problem.
You may feel that only a miracle will make you better.

Maybe you feel that surgery is going to be that miracle?

Let us have a look at the facts

I came across a research paper that was published in 2017.

The title of the paper is “Predictors of long-term opioid use following lumbar fusion”.
Lumbar fusion being the common surgery for back pain in South Africa.

The article looked at 8377 people who went for lower back fusion to see how many people remained on opioid painkillers after the surgery.

What they found was that using opioids pain killers before surgery increased the risk of using opioid pain killers long term following surgery 6-fold.

You are 6x more likely to be using opioids after back surgery if you used them before the surgery.

They also commented that it is possible that the patients were already addicted to opioids before they had the surgery.
Even the 16% of people who were not on opioids like codeine and morphine before the surgery, were still likely to be on them after the surgery.

The researchers found that “Approximately 50% of lumbar surgery patients used opioids for a total of 3 months after surgery & Approximately 40% for 6 months”.
With your chances of being on opioids pain killers for at least 3 months is 50 % and 40% for 6 months, IF your goal is to stop taking pills for your pain because of the harm they do to the body, surgery seems to do the opposite of that.

17% of people are still on these pills 24 months after surgery.
This seems to me like surgery is not the best option if you want to stop taking pills for your back pain. Especially with 17% of people still on the 2 years after the surgery.

If you are thinking that you are backed into a corner. The only two options you see are life on pills or a risk of being the back-surgery horror story people talk about.

Do you want to try option 3?

We have helped so many people with back pain get off pills and avoid surgery over the years.

I think we can help you too.

Need more information?

CLICK HERE to get our guide on back pain

book your appointment today

Jason

I had back pain for almost 2 years, I relied heavily on strong pain killers and I was about to do an operation, but the day I met Jason everything changed, I have healed no more pain no more taking pain killers.

Mmabatho

Jason has been the best physiotherapist. He had literally changed my life. I’ve gone to several physiotherapists before who have not been able to solve my back problem. However, with Jason he made me feel as if I can recover and in a quick time I actually did. I’d highly recommend his practice

Will

Jasons’ service has been impeccable. He is very professional, friendly and relatable to his clients.

Mathikazi

Super professional! Holistic therapy focuses on overall wellbeing over the long term. My child’s shoulder and consequently sleeping problem were properly dealt with.

Lerato

First of all, you should know how friendly he is. He isn’t as rude as the others are. Even though the treatment hurt I felt healed afterwards. Even after some days I still don’t feel the pain. He even helps distract me while he is working so it isn’t as sore. He also made me feel comfortable very quickly and that made things a lot more fun and easy.

Queen

Most informative and upfront Physio I have ever had the pleasure of receiving treatment from. He is honest and worked hard to fix my problem. Extremely satisfied with the results.

Nick

BRILLIANT. My problems were being resolved from day one. He guided me through exercises and strengthening me to prevent further injuries. I would recommend him to anyone.

Durran

BRILLIANT. My problems were being resolved from day one. He guided me through exercises and strengthening me to prevent further injuries. I would recommend him to anyone.

Durran

The treatment I got was so good. He has a magic touch because anywhere I had pain, he touched and my pain went away. The exercise we did was marvellous. The exercises we did made me feel so good. In the four days, we worked I felt great afterwards. I want to call and send my friends and family to him so he can help them.

Malatji

So I hobbled (I used to need a walking stick) into his office but now I don’t. If you’re looking for a physiotherapist who’s going to be straight with you and actually address your pain, Jason Roets should definitely be your choice. Now I walk well WITHOUT my walking stick! And no more pain!

Zinz

Jason is deeply invested in the recovery and wellbeing of his patients. He has a holistic approach and takes all factors – past and present – into account when providing treatment. He works to fix the root of problems, rather than simply treat immediate symptoms. His care and passion for what he does are undeniable

Gina

I had extreme pains in my neck. After a few sessions with Jason, I feel much relieved and pain-free. Jason is very friendly and engages with his clients in his sessions, which helps create a connection on an emotional level not only physical.

Jonathan

I think it’s the best thing I could do to treat my back pain. It took a while before I went in and I wished I when sooner. I really liked how fast he responded and wanted to see me so quickly. I also liked how the ebooks he has was really helpful that I got through seeing it on Facebook.

Charles

Jason has been great and patient with me through the journey. I have been suffering from backache and headache for a long time and he helped me for 2 weeks and already there is a huge difference. Thanks for your help 😊

Nkope

I was desperate to get help for my back. A neurosurgeon said I needed surgery but I refuse to go because there is no one to look after me while I recover. And with covid, I will not go to the hospital because that’s where you get it. I’m so glad I went to Jason because he really helped and I don’t need surgery anymore.

Jane

I would like other people to consider using him because of how much he has helped me. If you feel like you need help you should contact him I didn’t know how connected the body was and how old injures can make me have pain now. Now i don’t feel any pain and the exercises helped so much I’m no longer stiff and my back pain is gone

Sylvia

I had an injured back muscle for more than a year. I was assisted by a clinic specializing in those kinds of injuries which took a lot of sessions to relieve some of the pain. Jason’s physio treatment took 2 sessions! Thanks, Jason!

Gerhard

Excellent service! Wow! Beyond amazed at the high level of accuracy carried out through the process of my treatment. I am completely free of all the pain was experiencing! Again, Wow!

Baatseba

I advised you to do it. Because I experience the pain that I had couldn’t even allow me to walk with confidence. My pain was heavy on me. My body was so heavy. The pain was so sore. He even picked up things that I didn’t even know if had. I sleep so much better now. But now I don’t have any problems

Aldine

I had back pain for almost 2 years, I relied heavily on strong pain killers and I was about to do an operation, but the day I met Jason everything changed, I have healed no more pain no more taking pain killers.

Mmabatho

Jason has been the best physiotherapist. He had literally changed my life. I’ve gone to several physiotherapists before who have not been able to solve my back problem. However, with Jason he made me feel as if I can recover and in a quick time I actually did. I’d highly recommend his practice

Will