Surgery or not?
2. Removing the painful Substance through Surgery:
In extreme cases, surgeons may have to sever pain pathways by altering areas of the brain associated with pain perception, or performing a rhizotomy (which destroys portions of peripheral nerves) or a chordotomy (destroys ascending tracts in the spinal cord). Usually a last resort.
Surgical interventions can be aimed at eradicating the source of the pain, such as back pain from herniated disks between the vertebrae. An inflamed disc can compress a nerve and cause neuropathic pain.
If the patient does not respond to medications, a surgeon might try to remove at least part of the disc and relieve pressure on the nerve.
