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Back and Neck Procedures
When we look at all spine surgery not required by cancer or infection we can see that the community where you live is a factor in whether or not you might have surgery (Chart 3).
If everywhere in Maine were the same the bars would all be short. We expect that things will be somewhat different in one town when compared to the rest of the state. Bars to the left indicate less often than expected, bars to the right indicate more often than expected.
These spine operations are done for leg or arm pain and occasionally neck and back pain. Surgery done for pain in an arm or leg caused by a pinch nerve in the neck or back works better than surgery for neck or back pain.
We do not know how often these operations should be done. We do know that where you live appears to be one of the factors that determines whether surgery is performed. The Maine Quality Forum suggests second opinion before surgery when the problem is not an emergency.
