ABC News Back Pain Part 2: Replacement Disc Surgery

[Guest guest]

This information is from www.abcnews.com. Here is a

video at the site with the exact news segment.

Kaylene

Moderator

Back Pain Revolution: Replacement Disc Surgery

BY DR. TIMOTHY JOHNSON

May 23, 2006 — The likelihood of having back surgery

in the United States is 40 percent higher than in any

other country, and five times higher than in the

United Kingdom.

The two most common procedures are the removal of

herniated or slipped discs and the fusion of unstable

back bones.

Labarbera is one of more than 300,000 Americans

a year who have surgery to remove part of a disc that

presses against a spinal nerve or cord.

Her slipped disc was causing excruciating pain down

her leg, so she opted to have the disc removed. The

procedure took about an hour as her surgeon used a

series of tubes and created a small space in her body

to reach her disc.

Her recovery was rapid, and she was able to walk

several hours after her surgery.

" The numbness and the tingling and the pain upon

walking was completely gone, " Labarbera said.

While her problem was easily diagnosed, sometimes back

surgery is done without firm evidence that the disc is

the cause of the pain. In those cases, the success

rate is much less favorable.

" The trick is in selecting the appropriate treatment

for the right patient, " said Dr. Philip Steig,

chairman of neurologic surgery at the Weill Cornell

Medical Center. " Surgeons will try to do something and

not necessarily do the right thing, and the patient

has persistent pain. "

Considering Spinal Fusion Surgery

Unnecessary surgery is even more of a problem with an

operation called spinal fusion, which is sometimes

done for patients with painful and unstable lower

backs.

In this procedure, two or more vertebrae — the

individual bones that form the spine — are screwed

together to prevent motion that might cause pain.

" Surgery takes about three or four hours, they stay in

the recovery room overnight, they usually go home two

or three days after surgery, " said Dr. Hartl of

New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

But critics say many people undergoing fusion surgery

could have done just as well with physical therapy.

Dr. Deyo of the Harborview Medical Center said

in many cases when comparing spinal fusion to

nonsurgical therapy it " wasn't clear there was any

advantage of surgery over the nonsurgical treatment. "

So why are so many back surgeries performed in this

country?

It could be a combination of too many surgeons who are

too eager to operate and the impatience of many

patients who want results quickly.

The truth is that 90 percent of back pain can be

resolved without surgery if both doctors and patients

are willing to try other treatments that basically

help the back to heal itself.

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