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WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal fusion surgery is too often used to treat lower back pain when a simpler procedure would suffice for many patients, according to a pair of new clinical trials.
People suffering from spinal stenosis -- pinched nerves caused by a narrowing of the spinal canal -- received similar pain relief with fewer complications when doctors performed a simpler spine surgery called decompression, as opposed to a full-fledged spinal fusion, a study from Sweden found.
"Fusion was associated with longer operating time, longer hospital stay and was more expensive than decompression alone," said lead researcher Dr.
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