December 2016 | MensHealth.com 115IF YOU’VE RACKED UP THE MILES ON SOME
OF YOUR BODY PARTS, HERE’S HOW TO
TELL IF SURGERY IS A SMART MANEUVER.
Every man can finish this sentence: “If it ain’t broke...”
If you’re talking about a car or a romance, that’s great
advice. But we are merely men, and for our bodies, the rule
is different: If it ain’t completely broke now, give it a few
years and it might be. Putting off a needed repair might very
likely lead to a more complicated one down the road.
Just ask Jonathan Stevens, 34, a health care worker in Indiana. One
morning last January, he woke with an ache that began in his lower back
and radiated through his right butt cheek and down his leg, causing him
to limp all the way to a chiropractor. When chiropractic treatment didn’t
work, he took meds and muscle relaxants prescribed by his doctor. He
tried weeks of physical therapy. Nothing worked.
Finally, an MRI revealed that Stevens had a herniated disk at the base
of his spine. He consulted with a couple of surgeons and decided to have
a diskectomy. Two weeks later, “It was like someone flipped a switch,” he
said. His pain vanished and hasn’t returned.
Often, things that go wrong with your body can be fixed with exercise,
nutrition, common sense, and complaining. “You only consider [surgery]
when all other treatments have failed,” says Brian Werner, M.D., who
teaches orthopedic surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medi-
cine. But spotting that tipping point—recognizing when surgery is your
best option—can be tricky. For the 10 common problems that follow, we’ve
identified the moment when it might be time to look toward the OR.