Dublin Woman Successfully Avoids Back Surgery! (Without Pills)

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“I’ve had back pain for as long as I can remember, but in the past few months it’s gotten so bad to the point where I can’t even stand for longer than 5 minutes. Just trying to cook a meal for my family leaves me bent over in tears…”

— Deb, 61, Dublin, CA

Can you relate?

Chronic back pain from “degenerative disc disease” is one of the most debilitating conditions you can experience. It drains your energy, robs your mobility, and the relentless pain can lead to depression and hopelessness.

To make matters worse, finding relief often feels overwhelming. Either it’s because doctors nowadays, barely spend any time with their patients and all they seem to do is push pills, injections, or surgery—treatments that often mask the problem or, in some cases, make things way worse.

Or on the flip side, when people seek help outside the traditional medical system, they’re bombarded with “quick fixes,” miracle pills, or endless creams, supplements, and devices, making it impossible to know what is actually safe and what truly works.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

This article aims to offer a new perspective on chronic back pain—a perspective that shows how even with a diagnosis like “degenerative disc disease,” it is still possible to live pain-free and live an active, “normal” life... Even if your doctors have told you nothing more can be done.

A client of ours by the name of Deb came to us a few months ago. She’d suffered from chronic back pain for well over 15 years, but it was something she just always “dealt with”.

But recently, the pain had become so intense she could barely stand or walk for more than five minutes without needing to rest.

“Doctors told me I have degenerating discs in my back and that it’s just a sign of old age and that it’s irreversible…The only thing they said they could do for me is either give me pain-killers to help me manage my symptoms, or I could try spinal injections every couple of months, or if those didn’t work they could try a spinal fusion surgery, but it wasn’t a guarantee that it would even work...”

This worried Deb. Having seen close friends and family members have back surgery in the past, and seeing how difficult life was, she wanted to avoid back surgery at all costs.

While it’s true: degenerative disc disease can’t be “reversed,” and in some cases, surgery is necessary. However, despite this diagnosis, things may not be as bad as it seems.

What We Know Now

Research supports what I’ve been telling my patients for years: even if you’ve struggled with chronic back pain for years and been diagnosed with “degenerative disc disease” or severe arthritis, not all hope is lost!

Studies show that almost everyone over 50, whether they have back pain or not, show signs of degenerative disc disease on x-rays or MRIs. And more importantly, researches could NOT tell, based on x-ray images who was in pain versus who was not in pain.

This essentially means millions of people have “degenerative disc disease” but experience no pain or symptoms. And that it is quite “normal” to show signs of degenerative disc disease as people get older.

Conversely, we also know that there are many more people in their 20s and 30s who suffer from severe back pain without any signs of degenerative discs.

Why Does This Matter?

What these studies tell us is just because your x-rays show degenerative disc disease doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a life of pain or disability.

And this also means that there are other “mechanisms” that could explain your pain beyond just “aging” or “degenerating discs.”

In Deb’s case, we discovered that the true source of her pain wasn’t her degenerating discs but rather soft tissue inflammation.

What is Soft Tissue Inflammation?

You see, your back is made up of much more than just bones and vertebrae.

It’s also made up of:

• Tendons and ligaments,
• Muscles and nerves,
• And also connective tissues known as fascia

When these soft tissues become overly stressed and inflamed, they can also be a source of pain and stiffness.

Now, the reason why it is so important to realize that the pain could be due to “soft tissues” instead of “degenerating discs” is because soft tissues DO have the ability to heal and regenerate!

But in order for it to heal, you need to create the right “conditions and environment” to allow it to heal.

What do I mean by the right conditions and environment?

Think of what happens when you cut your skin.

If you clean your wound, bandage it, and leave it alone, at some point the wound will heal and you will have brand new skin.

However, if the cut gets infected, or if you keep picking at the scab, it will become chronically irritated and inflamed.

Lower back pain is no different, and in Deb’s case, we realized the reason she wasn’t getting better was NOT just simply due to “old age”, but rather she had not created the proper environment for her body to heal.

You see, even though Deb had tried things like physical therapy, chiropractic, and even acupuncture in the past, most of these therapies only focused on performing treatments ON her lower back itself.

This included doing back stretches, “core strengthening” exercises, as well as getting chiropractic adjustments.

While sometimes these treatment would give some temporary relief, the problem is, they were actually creating MORE stress on her back that was already irritated to begin with which was only making her symptoms worse. (similar to picking at the scab)

Deb’s Path to Relief — Treating the ROOT Causes

However, when we worked with Deb, we took a much more comprehensive, “full-body” approach to treatment.

Meaning, instead of just focusing solely on doing treatment on her lower back, we looked at the bigger picture, and realized that the reason WHY her back was so inflamed was because of the fact that it was over-working, to “overcompensate” for OTHER parts of her body that were not doing their job.

And the 3 main areas we focused on involved:

• Releasing Tight Hips: Years of desk work had tightened the muscles in Deb’s hips, creating imbalances in her pelvis and putting strain on her back. Addressing this hip tightness reduced her pain almost immediately.
• Improving Posture: Poor posture from years of desk work caused her upper body to stiffen, causing too much stress on her lower back. Correcting her posture took a TON of pressure off of her lower back, making it much easier for her to stand.
• Relieving Stiff Back Muscles: Deb had been told in the past she needed to “strengthen” her back, but these exercises usually made her pain worse. Instead, we used a technique known as “myofascial release” to relax her back muscles, while also reducing pain and restoring mobility within weeks.

Using this “full body" approach to care, and understanding how everything is truly “interconnected”, Deb’s back pain started to improve within just a matter of weeks!

While she was by no means “cured” after a couple of sessions, the amount of relief she was able to experience was significant.

And then, just after 3 months of treatments, Deb went from being worried about becoming permanently disabled, or lying flat on a surgeon’s table, all the way BACK to being able to:

• Standing for over one whole hour in the kitchen to cook dinner without having to sit down and take a break
• Able to walk her dog every morning without constantly worrying about her back going out
• Enjoy afternoons with her grandkids, and even get on and off the ground to play with them

And most importantly, Deb was able to successfully avoid back surgery! Even though her doctors were convinced several months ago that it would be her only option.

“I’m starting to feel like my old self again. Just the other day I was able to stand for an hour and cook a HUGE meal for my family. And the best part is, not ONCE did I even have to THINK about my back. And it just feels amazing”

Are you living with, or worried about someone living with chronic back pain?

If so, and if you are looking for some help, we are now accepting applications for potential clients at Balance and Body Restoration.

Click here to apply for a FREE In-Person Consultation

To see if we can help and to determine if we’re a good fit, we offer a free 30-minute in-person consultation for people who may be interested in working with us. This consultation is NOT some cheap sales pitch, but instead, our goal is to have an honest conversation about your health.

We will review your situation in-depth, provide you a detailed assessment of what we believe your problems are, and we will then determine if we truly believe our approach can help you. From there, you can decide for yourself if you would like to proceed.

Please note, we are selective in who we work with and understand we may not be able to help everyone. If you’re looking for a quick fix, this may not be for you. But if you’re committed to taking an active role in your recovery and want to return to a normal, active lifestyle, we’d love to see if we can help.

Click here to apply for a FREE In-Person Consultation

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Mao

Physical Therapist

Founder of Balance and Body Restoration Physical Therapy and Massage

P.S. If you’re not ready for a consultation, we offer a FREE VIDEO COURSE titled “How to Heal Chronic Lower Back Pain by Fixing the ROOT Causes.” This course shares the exact strategies we’ve used to help clients like Deb find natural relief through corrective stretching and exercise.

Click here to access our Lower Back Pain Course Page

While I can’t promise a magic pill or overnight solution, I’m confident you’ll find helpful, actionable tips to start reducing your back symptoms and addressing the root causes of your pain.

Click here to access our Lower Back Pain Course Page

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