Behold the power of belief 
Studies find spinal procedure no more effective than placebo
Short version: A single-blind trial has shown that the effectiveness of a highly-regarded $3000 operation widely used to treat back pain appears to be completely unrelated to the surgical procedure itself. Patients in the "placebo" group did have the same anaesthetic applied as would be used in the actual operation, though, and they were also exposed to the smell of the cement injected in the actual operation, so the relief could stem from one of those factors rather than purely being a placebo effect.
But still... Seems like this is part of the reason why health care costs in the US are so high, yet the results are so poor, no? Especially given the article's penultimate paragraph:
Quote:
Despite the disappointing findings, surgeons are unlikely to stop performing the procedure any time soon because it does relieve pain, even if it is through a placebo effect, said Dr. Ty Thaiyananthan, a spinal surgeon at Chapman Medical Center in Orange.
Maybe it's just me, but that sounds an awful lot like "I can charge more for doing a complex procedure than I can for a simple one, so I'll keep doing the complex procedure, regardless of whether it brings better results or not."
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