Spinal Fusion Vs. Universal Healthcare

June 8, 2007
by: Stephanie

Jonah Lehrer takes an interesting look at the issue of the expense of spinal fusion - usually about $50,000 for a surgery - and the mixed reports over whether or not it has any real therapeutic benefit.

The point is illustrated in real time on our back surgery message board discussions - for some people the surgery was a godsend, for others a failure, and still for others it made their pain worse. So what's the right answer? I think it's messy, and that's the difficulty with coming up with fair and equitable universal healthcare coverage.

With spinal fusion, when it's done by a surgeon with expertise and finesse for a patient with the right indications, spinal fusion can provide almost immediate relief for excruciating and disabling pain. But the devil is in the detail - how to evaluate each surgeon's diagnostic and surgical skills? That's the real question.

Posted by: Stephanie

Additional resources:

• Deciding on surgery for degenerative disc disease
• Choosing the best spine surgeon