Is Lumbar Fusion Appropriate for Chronic Low Back Pain?

New research article titled: “Is lumbar fusion necessary for chronic low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease? A meta-analysis.” 

The short answer is “NO”. The researchers came to this conclusion after looking at multiple studies:

‘The present meta-analysis determined that fusion surgery was no better than nonoperative treatment in terms of the pain and disability outcomes either at short- or long-term follow-up. It is necessary for clinicians to weigh the risk of complications associated with fusion surgery against additional surgeries after nonoperative treatment.’

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878875020325067