“Donnino and colleagues enrolled 35 participants, 18 to 67 years old with chronic back pain that lacked a clear physical origin.”
The headline numbers are huge: 64% pain free at six months. The trial had 35 people split three ways. Surgery and steroid shots for back pain have no clear trial evidence either, and Americans spend up to $300 billion a year on treatment. Small studies deserve skepticism. So does a $300 billion industry built on procedures that never passed one.