Bone spurs are tiny growths in the spine that sometimes develop due to traumatic injury or spinal deterioration. Bone spur treatment can help improve your quality of life, and knowing what kinds of treatments you’re getting into can help put you even more at ease. Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind before you receive spinal bone spur treatment.

Tip one: understand the nature of the bone spur treatment regimen

In most cases, treatment methods are designed only to address the symptoms that the bone spur is causing, not the bone spur itself. Outside of surgery, all treatment measures are intended to mitigate pain, discomfort, numbness and muscle weakness when a bone spur in the spine compresses a nerve root or the spinal cord. That isn’t to say that nonsurgical methods are ineffective, as most patients experience an improvement in their symptoms after a few weeks or months of adhering to their doctor’s conservative treatment regimen.

Tip two: be prepared to make some lifestyle changes

You’re probably expecting that your doctor will recommend pain medication to help combat your symptoms, but you might not know that lifestyle changes are also often suggested for spinal bone spur treatment. Spinal bone spurs are sometimes caused by overuse of a joint through repetitive motions and continual strain on the spine.

For that reason, your doctor may ask you to refrain from certain motions like heavy lifting or participating in activities like golfing, which rely on the repeated twisting of the spine. Carrying around extra weight can also put added strain on the spine. If you’re overweight, your doctor will likely recommend that you lose excess weight by dieting and performing low-impact exercises like swimming or biking.

Tip three: know that bone spur surgery may be an option

Although most people find conservative bone spur treatment methods to be sufficient, some may need surgical intervention to obtain adequate relief from their symptoms. Spine surgery isn’t right for everyone, but you may want to consider it at some point. There are traditional open spine surgery options as well as minimally invasive ones like the procedures performed at USA Spine Care. To learn more and to request a free review of your MRI results,* contact USA Spine Care today.

Since 2005, we have helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic neck or back pain, setting us apart as the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery. If you are a candidate for our bone spur surgery, our board-certified surgeons+ are able to use a small incision that is muscle sparing to relieve the pressure on the nerve root or spinal cord, thereby allowing you to find lasting relief from your symptoms.