Back Pain Alternatives

Some physicians look to alternatives for surgical treatment to back pain.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune (8/9, Moore) reports that as the numbers of Americans suffering "from disabling back pain during their lifetimes" multiplies, "so have questions about the more aggressive forms of back treatment." In 2006, "American doctors performed approximately 343,000 spine fusion operations, up 82 percent from 1999," according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which tracks Medicare data, "omitting perhaps thousands more paid by other sources." Some feel "the rising costs, high rates of complications and second" surgeries "generate concern that the procedure may be overused." Some doctors "have embraced doubts about surgery and are exploring non-surgical options." For example, "Physicians Neck & Back Pain, a Twin Cities chain of clinics, has gained national attention for its sports medicine approach to treating back pain," the paper adds.