EON

Toronto – Surgery may be the best option for some back injuries, according to a new study in the New England Jornal Of Medicne.

In the study, researchers compared spine surgery for spinal degeneration to a combinatio of rest, medication and physical therapy. Two years after treatment, people who had surgery experienced less pain and more mobility compared to people who took painkillers and physical therapy.

“As a surgeon, it’s very important to me that I have evidence that I can share with my patients as they are trying to decide how to proceed with treatment,” said Dr. James Weinstein of the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. “Up until now, we suspected surgery produced better results, but we had little objective data to support that. With the results of this study, we can now discuss much more fully the surgical and non-surgical options available to our patients so that they can make an informed choice.”

Not all back injuries are created equal

In a sepeate study researchers found that surgery to correct damage to the sciatic nerve was no better than other types of treatments.

“Thus, for patients with persistent sciatica, there seems to be a reasonable choice between surgical and nonsurgical treatment, which may be influenced by aversion to surgical risks, the severity of symptoms, and willingness to wait for spontaneous healing,” Richard Deyo of the University of Washington in Seattle said in an accompanying editorial.

Researchers note that many back injuries often heal over time. The benefit to surgery is a quicker recovery.