Surgery in lower back pain: good results

 Minimally invasive surgery could benefit for people with lower back pain, says US research published in Spine.

Over 300 people were tracked over seven years so that experts could establish if transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is of longer-term benefit.

The procedure sees the anterior and posterior columns of the spine fused using a bone graft and interbody spacer to offer greater internal stability.

Results show that TLIF procedures with smaller incisions could reduce chronic lower back pain, hospital stays, complications and scarring. And they mean lower costs and infection rates compared with more invasive, open procedures.

“Patients have demonstrated a very high rate of satisfaction with the minimally invasive technique,” says Dr Mick Perez-Cruet who was involved in the study. “The majority of my patients are completely pain free and have returned to work and daily activities and have an improved quality of life.”

Although potentially appealing for people with lower back pain that’s due to the natural effects of ageing, most cases can be effectively “managed by exercise, improved posture and physiotherapy,” says a spokesperson from Arthritis Research UK.