Think Twice Before Back Pain Surgery
(London, Reuters Health, 5/22/05)

Jeremy Fairbank of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Center in Oxford, England, and team, compared 349 chronic back pain sufferers who underwent either spinal fusion surgery or an intensive exercise program and behavioral therapy . The investigators found virtually no difference in outcomes between the surgical and non-surgical methods of treatment. These results suggest that healthcare providers should present all options to patients who come to them seeking relief from back pain.

(British Medical Journal)