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Back pain? Studies say waiting out a herniated disc is just as good as surgery
Posted on Nov 26th 2006 8:32AM by Rigel Celeste
Approximately 250,000 people opt for surgery each year for sciatica, but two new studies say it might not be any more effective than other non-invasive treatments. Sciatica is severe backpain caused by a herniated or bulging disc of cartilage in the spine that presses on a nerve. It often radiates down into the legs and makes walking difficult.
The two studies followed a total of over 1200 patients, and both showed little difference in physical functioning or reported pain levels two years after having either surgery or non-invasive treatments like physical therapy and pain medications. One of the studies did show surgery to be more immediately effective than other treatments, but when the two year assessment period had passed both approaches had evened out.
Dr. James Weinstein of Dartmouth Medical School seems to have summed it up pretty good by saying "If you don't want the risk of surgery, you can do watchful waiting" and still get better. It's always nice to have options!
