Chiropractor before emergency surgery???

So, I’m facing emergency spinal surgery. They found a 12mm herniated disc that's slamming into my nerves. The pain is hitting my lower back, mostly on the left side of my glute, and it shoots all the way down to my foot. My calf muscles are numb and even the toes on my left foot feel tingly. I need an MRI before the surgery, but the waitlist is massive. I'm actually thinking about taking some time off work just to get this sorted within the next week. In the meantime, I was considering seeing a chiropractor to see if they can help ease the pressure. Given what's going on with my spine, would you guys even recommend that? I'm terrified of making the situation way worse...

If your disc has herniated by about half an inch—based on what you've been told via an MRI or perhaps a CT scan—it essentially means the tough outer layer of the disc has ruptured. This creates a gap through which the soft, jelly-like center leaks out, pressing directly against your spinal cord or nerve roots.

In such a critical situation, seeing a chiropractor might be a fantastic idea... if your ultimate goal is to spend the rest of your life unable to move.

All jokes aside, please don't even consider it.

Don't even think about it!

Keep moving toward your surgery, but watch your step. Avoid any sudden turns or jerky movements, and for heaven's sake, try not to trip on stairs or jar yourself against hard surfaces.
And don't even think about trying any massages.

Yeah, I'm going through CT!
Right now, I'm just waiting on an MRI. Even though they told me surgery is urgent, it feels like they aren't in any real rush. But hey, I’ll take whatever luck I can get—I'm hoping to get it done in the next few days. Once that's finished, I'm sending the results back to my specialist in New York to get a second opinion, just so everything stays under one roof. Then, I'll just hunker down and deal with it.

As for the chiropractor, I was only asking because everyone keeps telling me to go see one. Honestly, I'm pretty skeptical. Until I hear what my doctor says after the MRI, I've decided I'm not doing anything else.

Don't even think about seeing a chiropractor. They’re more likely to make things worse than help... If the situation is as bad as it looks, you’re probably better off just looking into surgery.

If you aren't dealing with actual loss of motor function, please, get a second opinion before you even think about scheduling surgery. Numbness alone isn't a reason to go under the knife; most of the time, you can manage that with conservative treatments instead.

As for chiropractic care... well, that’s at your own risk. Someone who actually knows their stuff shouldn't cause you any harm, but let's be honest—chiropractors here aren't strictly regulated by any federal laws, so anyone can just claim they're a specialist if they want to.

fadedmarlin402 said:Whatever you do, stay away from chiropractors. They can honestly make things so much worse... If the situation is as bad as it looks, surgery might actually be the best way to go.

That’s actually a really good question... A recurrence after surgery like we're talking about, except it just shifts over to the next segment...

I agree that when dealing with a herniated disc, conservative therapy is usually the best first move, but surgery often ends up being the only real way out. It’s a necessary evil—one that frequently leads to recurrences, sure, but it’s also what saves people when nothing else works. I can't give specific medical advice on a forum like this, but if a specialist says you need emergency surgery because a segment has slipped by 12 mm, then no chiropractor is going to fix that. Especially not some local guy down the street. In my experience, I am absolutely certain that trying to "crack" something like that could make things significantly worse. This isn't just about numbness, either; the person mentioned standard pain radiating from the lower back all the way down to their toes. At this stage, you really ought to listen to the neurosurgeon. They are the only ones qualified to give a professional opinion here. If you want a second opinion, fine, but get it from another neurosurgeon. That's my take on it.

I really can't get behind making surgery the first line of defense in cases like this unless one of those three major indicators is actually present. It’s just too expensive, way too inefficient, and honestly, just massive stress for everyone involved. Especially when you have someone stuck in bed for two months just waiting for a procedure... they're never going to make a 100% recovery at that point.
Pain that radiates all the way down to the foot isn't an automatic reason for surgery either. Almost everyone dealing with standard sciatica deals with that, and I've seen plenty of patients in my own experience who were in the exact same boat—they skipped the operating room and went with conservative treatment instead, and they're doing great now.

Brandon Diaz29 said:So, I’m looking at emergency spinal surgery—they found a 12 mm disc herniation that's pressing on my nerves. I've got this pain in my lower back, mostly on the left side of my glute, and it shoots all the way down to my foot. My leg muscles and toes on the left side are going numb, too. I need an MRI before surgery, but the waitlist is huge—though I might just scrape some money together to get it done within the next week. In the meantime, I was thinking about seeing a chiropractor to see if they can help. Given what's going on, would you guys actually recommend that? I'm pretty terrified of making things worse...

The millimeters don't really mean much on their own. You need to see a neurosurgeon to figure out the actual size and exact position of the herniation. That's the only way to know if physical therapy is even an option for you, or if surgery is the way to go.

I'm a bit confused—how do you know the disc is out by 12mm if you haven't had the MRI yet?

Don't let the thought of surgery scare you off—just go and googlati "minimally invasive spine surgery."

Best,

Stay far away from those chiropractors.

Surgery should always be your absolute last resort because let's be real, failed surgeries and relapses happen way more often than people care to admit.

Trust me, you aren't the only one out there dealing with an extrusion that massive.

I am totally on the same page as Casey Palmer5—getting some solid physical therapy from actual pros can make a world of difference.

Brandon Diaz29 said:So, I need emergency surgery for my lower back. They found a 12mm herniated disc that's pressing right on my nerves. I've got this pain in my lower spine, mostly on the left side of my buttock, shooting all the way down to my foot. My leg muscles and toes on the left side are going numb. I have to get an MRI before the surgery, but the waitlist is huge. I was thinking about just using some extra cash from my savings to try and fast-track the MRI within the next week. In the meantime, I was considering seeing a chiropractor to see if they could help. Given what's going on, would you guys even recommend that? I'm terrified of making things worse...

Don't gamble with your life. If someone uses the word "emergency," a chiropractor is definitely not the answer...

fadedheron892 said:I’m totally on board with what Casey Palmer5 said—having an experienced physiatrist guide you through the right exercises can make a world of difference.

But honestly, at the end of the day, you really have to trust that the specialist who actually examined you and ran all the diagnostics knows what they're doing. At least, they should.
I mean, what am I supposed to do? Walk back into my specialist's office—the same one who looked at my scans, performed the exam, and recommended urgent surgery—and tell them, "Hey, just so you know, some people on an online forum suggested surgery is a last resort and I should try physical therapy first"? That doesn't exactly fly.

I seriously doubt doctors would jump straight to suggesting spinal surgery unless they had already ruled out every other viable option.

So, I’ve decided to give chiropractic care one last shot before heading in for surgery. After my fifth session this past Saturday, I actually walked without any leg pain or limping for the first time... I was honestly over the moon. I'm feeling a little bit of tightness today, but it's nothing compared to how I felt before starting these sessions. He reviewed all my medical records and is being incredibly cautious with his approach. I don't feel any pain during the adjustments at all. In my opinion, you really should try everything possible before committing to surgery, and there are some truly excellent chiropractors right here in the States. So, Stana, if you want my guy's name and address, just shoot me a DM.