Invasive procedures may not be more effective for chronic knee or back pain than sham procedures, according to a systematic review in Pain Medicine.
Here are three things to know:
1. The meta-analysis encompassed 25 trials assessing the effect of invasive versus sham procedures in 2,000 participants. Invasive procedures had a 12 percent adverse event risk compared to a 4 percent risk for sham procedures among the 14 studies that reported on adverse events.
2. Authors concluded there is little evidence to determine that invasive procedures are more effective at treating chronic pain than sham procedures.
3. According to the authors, more research is needed before invasive procedures are routinely used for chronic pain treatment, given their high cost and relatively increased safety concerns.