I feel I must comment to people about the fact that surgeries are being recommended for structures showing up as positive findings on tests like x-rays or MRIs but can not possibly create the pain that the peson is experiencing. This is a very scary trend. Since the lay person has no capacity to know if the diagnostic test positive finding such has a herniated disc, arthritis, stenosis, meniscal or rotator cuff tear is capable of creating the pain they are experiencing where they are experiencing it, they have only faith to cling to to hope that an unnecessary surgery is not being performed. Two examples of this horror can be seen here.
A gentleman I just met told me that he had a total hip replacement on the left side due to pain he was experiencing. He told me an x-ray indicated he was bone as bone as defined by his physician. 5 months since that surgery he is now getting pain at the right side and is told he now needs a total hip replacement at the right hip. I asked him where the pain is on the right side and he pointed to his gluteal region or buttock. Folks, it is critical that you recognize that that is not your hip joint. The hip joint is where the femur or thigh bone enters the pelvis. To find this point, put your hands on the top of your waist. This is the top of your pelvis. Now lower your hands down your side from the waist. You will feel a depression until you reach a round bone sticking out. That is the hip joint. For most people, they would never guess that is where their hip joint is located.
If the physician told you that you were bone on bone in your hip, this is the location where you should have pain. I asked this guy if the place where he had pain at the right side was the same as the left side and he said yes. So he ends up getting a total hip replacement due to pain at the gluteal region which could never come from bone on bone at the hip joint. Now either the physician is completely inept in differentiating the cause of symptoms or he maliciously performed a joint replacement he fully knew was unnecessary. And is now convincing this defenseless fellow to get another unnecessary hip replacement on the right side for a symptom that could never come from being bone on bone at the hip joint.
I explained this point to this guy and he was shocked to hear that his symptoms could never come from the hip and therefore most likely had an unnecessary surgery and was being recommended another unnecessary surgery. He is expected to come for therapy at my office where I will identify the true cause of this gluteal region pain and resolve it. I am saddened that he got unnecessary hip replacement but at least I can stop him from getting another one.
In another case, I woman had a fracture ankle and months later ended up with pain at the bottom of her foot. The physician tried to convince her that the pain under her foot was due to a torn ligament at the ankle that had not healed and that an orthotic should be tried and if this failed, possible ankle fusion would be necessary.
Luckily for this woman, here boss was coming for therapy at my facility and recommended she come to me. I immediately diagnosed her pain as plantar fasciitis coming from a strained hip muscle which was altering her weight bearing through the foot creating irritation of the plantar fascia. To think that this woman could have ended up with an ankle fusion for no reason is chilling.
Whether it is knee pain around the knee cap coming from a meniscal tear which can never create pain around the knee cap, gluteal region pain being caused by a herniated disc in the lumbar region which has no nerve pathway to the gluteal region or numbness in the whole hand coming from carpal tunnel syndrome which can only possibly affect the first three fingers, diagnoses of causes of symptoms that can never create the symptom is rampid. The medical establishment simply uses a diagnostic test and gets positive findings and presto, they have a diagnosis. If the diagnosis can't possibly create the symptom, it appears that is not important. As long as they seem to have something to treat, they are very happy. Unfortunately for the layperson, they are 100% defenseless to know the difference. And every bit of evidence is showing that surgery is being performed and pain is not being resolved. It should be obvious that this result indicates that surgery is not being performed on the true cause of symptoms.
Studies showing the results of surgeries performed to resolve knee pain due to osteoarthritis and back pain due to vertebral fractures as defined by the medical establishment via x-rays and MRIs as the cause of these symptoms showed absolutely no decrease in pain whether the actual surgery or a mock surgery was performed. These findings are eye opening and should put a halt to surgery until these findings can be investigated.
Even one unnecessary surgery is one to many. Don't become a statistic. Understand what your symptoms are and what the potential cause of these symptoms can be. You must take responsibility for your health. Getting a surgery must become as much your decision as the physician's decision. If they are not willing to attempt to correlate your symptoms to a legitimate cause, you had better.
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