Is surgery for neck or back pain necessary?

The answer is: sometimes.

It is reasonable to consider spine surgery if the pain has not diminished after several months of non-surgical treatment, if your pain does not respond to prescribed medications, or if you are unable to complete basic daily activities. But fear not - there's a wide array of surgery options. Some are minimally invasive procedures (e.g. Selective Endoscopic Discectomy for a herniated disc) allow for a quick recovery, while other types of surgery (e.g. a posterolateral fusion for degenerative disc disease) are more extensive and have a much longer recovery time. Understanding your surgery options will help you better decide on a course of action.