Does Surgery Help Sciatica & Back Pain?

Firstly, studies show that surgery produces no statistical difference in long-term results as compared to conservative (i.e. non-surgical) care. There is a selection of studies listed below that highlight this.

The key words here are "no statistical difference".

What this means is that in a sample of say 100 people who have back surgery, there will be some people who obtain a positive benefit, some who end up worse off and the majority for whom there is minimal difference. The average, long term result for the whole group is no difference.

It's important that you understand how the statistics work..

The other factor to understand is that the benefits from back surgery are typically not long lasting. After 6 months or so, people tend to be back where they started.

So the summary is that you should be very cautious before embarking on back surgery, because the odds on it helping you are not good. I suggest you get at least two opinions before considering surgery.

Again, what we recommend is

1.  If you've got back pain or sciatica right now, change your pattern of movement, routine, exercise - if you're not doing any exercise then start!.

2.  Start a set of exercises designed for your back - sign up for the free back exercise course on this site or buy the Better Back Book.

3.  Develop good eating habits. Food is the fuel, lubrication and buidling material of your body. Guess what - feed it rubbish and it ain't gonna work very well!

Results From Studies on Back Surgery

One study by Dvorak J. et al. reviewed the long-term results of patients that had received surgery for lumbar disc herniations. The results of the study based on the 575 patients studied were:

• 70% still complained of back pain
• 83% complained of constant heavy pain
• 45% have a residual sciatica
• 35% are still under some kind of treatment
• 47% are receiving a disability pension and
• 17% required repeat surgeries.

The conclusion by the authors of the study said:

• "Based upon the criteria given by Spine as related to justified or unjustified indication, there was no statistical difference in long-term results for surgery as compared to conservative care". "The so-called justified indication for disc herniation
  neurosurgery does not necessarily imply a good long term result."

In another study, Bigos and Battie reported:

• "The overuse of surgery has been perhaps the single most damaging medical intervention for back pain sufferers. Surgery seems helpful for at most 2% of patients with back problems, and its inappropriate use can have a great impact on increasing the chance of chronic back pain disability."
   

In 1983, Weber reported:

• "Even in properly selected patients, there is no difference in outcome between surgically and conservatively treated patients at two years."

In 1992,Bush et al stated:

• ‘Surgery clearly has its place in the treatment of lumbar spine disorders. Conservative care practitioners must be able to select the patients who satisfy the criteria for surgical intervention. These criteria are more strict than previously believed."