Employees on workers’ compensation who undergo surgery for back pain don’t experience better outcomes than individuals who receive nonsurgical treatment, according to a study.

The report, published in Spine journal, found that while surgery provides better results than  nonsurgical treatment for most patients with back pain related to a  herniated disc, there appears to be “no added benefit” of surgery for  patients on workers’ comp.
The research team, led by Dr. Steven  J. Atlas of Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzed data on 924  patients with sciatica (low back and leg pain) related to a herniated  intervertebral disc. Sciatica related to herniated discs is a common and disabling condition and is a major source of workers’ comp claims.  Previous studies have suggested that workers’ comp status may affect the outcomes of treatment for herniated discs.
As part of a randomized trial called SPORT,  patients were assigned to undergo surgery or nonsurgical treatment –  physical therapy, education/home exercise, and pain-relieving drugs. The main SPORT results found that while both treatments were effective,  surgery provided more rapid improvement and better results up to two  years after treatment.
In the new analysis, Atlas and his  colleagues looked for possible differences in response to treatment for  patients who were and were not receiving workers’ comp. About 12 percent of patients in the study were on workers’ comp.
As in the main study, both treatments resulted

in improvement. For non-workers’ comp patients, the results of surgery were significantly better after three months and remained  better after two years. In contrast, for workers’ comp patients, the  difference between surgical and nonsurgical treatment narrowed over  time. By two years, workers’ comp patients undergoing surgery had pain  and physical function comparable to those treated without surgery.
Researchers said the percentage of  patients returning to work or placed on disability was similar with  surgery versus nonsurgical treatment, regardless of workers’ comp  status.
Atlas said it is not clear why the  results are different for patients on workers’ compensation. The study  found that the difference remains even after adjustment for other  patient characteristics. The findings, he said, do not imply that  workers’ comp patients should not undergo surgery.
“Rather, as recommended in recent  [guidelines], physicians should discuss the risks and benefits of  treatment options, including surgery, and treatment decisions should be  based on informed choice using a shared decision-making approach,” Atlas said.

---

---

Tags: back of knee pain causes, Back Pain, back pain lower right side, back pain relief, Back Pain Treatment, exercise, exercises sciatica, exercises to relieve sciatica pain, how long does sciatica last, low back pain, low back pain stretches, Lower Back Pain, lower back pain exercises, lumbar spinal stenosis, Sciatica, sciatica exercises, sciatica home treatment, sciatica nerve, sciatica pain, sciatica pain exercise, sciatica stretches, sciatica symptoms, sciatica treatment, spinal cord, spinal cord injury, spinal decompression, spinal fusion, spinal hemangioma pain, spinal meningitis, spinal muscular atrophy, Spinal Stenosis, spinal tap, treatment, treatment for sciatica, Upper Back Pain, upper back pain lungs