Patients with back pain use informational videos to choose between treatment options

When patients suffering from lower back pain have had enough and decide to pursue back pain treatments, a number of options will be made available to them. Since all of the methods that could be utilized are different, with varied rates of success, levels of risk and circumstances where they could be more or less effective, choosing between them may be difficult for some.

Orthopedic professionals are of course entirely capable of explaining these treatments in all the necessary detail to their patients. However, in some instances, certain additional sources of information may be helpful. A study conducted by researchers from Dartmouth Medical School at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire provided illustration of this fact.

The study's analysis, published in the journal Spine, confirmed this among patients who were shown educational videos about possible treatment methods for spinal conditions causing back pain. They became more likely to make a more informed decision regarding their own care, particularly involving the choice between back surgery and more conservative treatments.

In order to come to this conclusion, the Dartmouth researchers examined patients suffering from several specific conditions - disc degeneration, a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. The patients were brought into a clinical trial comparing the benefits of surgical and non-surgical techniques, and asked if they would like to view a video supplying details on both avenues of treatment.

Results of the study found that patients who watched the program had a greater likelihood of changing their minds as to their treatment. Only 14 percent of individuals in the trial declined to watch it, giving significant credence to the information gleaned from the results of those who did.

A total of 38 percent of the video's viewers requested that the course of their treatment be altered as a result, with a 55 percent majority choosing spine surgery. Among those who did not watch the program, only 21 percent changed their minds from their original decisions.

The team behind the study concluded that videos and other methods of supplying objective, informational content regarding techniques for care helped patients better interact with their orthopedists in choosing their treatment.

Minimally invasive spine surgery techniques are regarded as a viable option for addressing disc herniations and degeneration as well as spinal stenosis. When performed by a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon, such methods are often fairly quick outpatient procedures, requiring only local anesthesia and no major incisions that would take a long time to heal.