News / Profession

Preying on the Elderly?

Dynamic Chiropractic Staff

While the number of spine surgeries has been on the increase, this is especially true for those 65 years and older. Consider the trend for low back surgery between 1979 and 1992:

Number of Low Back Surgeries per 100,000

1979 1992
Adults Under 65 113 152
Adults 65 +Over 51 188

SOURCE: Ciol MA, Deyo RA, Howell E, Kreif S. An assessment of surgery for spinal stenosis: the trends, geographic variations, complications, and reoperations. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:285-290, 1996.

January 1997
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