Spinal Fusion

Fusion Surgery No Better than No Surgery

Does fusion surgery work? I have blogged before about the research showing that this surgery is often no better in the long-run than no surgery. However, I’ve also pointed out that surgeons have a way of interpreting data in studies that benefit their preconceived notions of efficacy. Today’s blog is about one such study which…read more

Lumbar Fusion Is Usually a Business Model, Not Effective Treatment

Surgical fusion hardware is one of the most successful medical business plans ever devised. You take a screw and rods made for a few dollars in China or India and sell them for thousands of dollars. As a result, we’ve gone from a world where implanting hardware in the spines of patients was rare, to…read more

Neck Fusion Side Effects in the Low Back?

While it seems common sense that all the parts of our spine are connected, because of orthopedic hyperspecialization, most patients believe that their necks and their backs are separate areas. After all, they have different names. Adding to the long list of neck fusion side effects, a new study shows just how wrong they are…read more

New England Journal of Medicine: R.I.P. Back and Neck Fusion Surgery

There has been an explosion in low back and neck fusion surgeries in the past two decades. However, I often tell my patients that “fusion is a dog with big fleas.” After they have a spinal fusion and are seen in the office and have more pain somewhere else, I tell them that they’re now…read more

Back Fusion Outcome: Fusion Leads to Dead Multifidus

Decisions in Medicine like most things are based on risk vs. benefit.  There are life saving procedures and surgeries where the answer is clear, but in non emergency situations, are we doing greater good than harm?  A new study looks at the potential damage done to the multifidus in the common surgery, back fusion. So what is…read more

Does Spinal Fusion cause Cancer?

More low back fusion side effects?  I’m blogging from Rome where the Vatican stem cell conference begins tomorrow. My initial plan was to lay off the blogging this week and take a much needed break, but I just saw the MedPage article on BMP’s and cancer and thought it was too interesting to pass up. As a…read more

SI Joint Pain after Low Back Fusion

Low back fusions are a big problem. While a few patients who get their back fused really need the procedure to control serious instability, most patients get their back fused to help control pain. Recent controversies surrounding things like BMP drugs to promote fusion (which cause sterility in men), the fact that we American doctors fuse…read more