Musculoskeletal surgery for nontraumatic pain: not a great analgesic

Do common musculoskeletal surgical procedures produce better pain relief than no surgery?

Sure, musculoskeletal surgery is invaluable for unintentional injury. But for conditions associated with chronic pain — such as knee, shoulder, wrist, neck, or back pain — even patients with objective changes on imaging that scream out for intervention, will not, on average, have better long-term pain relief with surgery as compared with no surgery. Most of the studies were not masked and there should have been a placebo effect to bolster a difference in pain relief between surgery and no surgery. As with any intervention, some people will benefit from surgery, but, on average, patients won’t be better off.