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Although the empirical evidence in support of spinal fusion is weak, the procedure is performed commonly in a number of countries, especially the U.S. Results from a new study do not support this practice.
Researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial at 15 hospitals in the U.K. They studied 349 patients (age range, 18–55) who had experienced low back pain for at least 1 year and whose physicians were uncertain whether a fusion procedure or aggressive rehabilitation would be the best therapy. Patients were assigned to spinal fusion or rehab; the type of surgery was left to the discretion of the surgeon. After 1 year of follow-up, no significant differences were noted between the two groups in most outcome measures, although the surger…