Chronic back pain is among the most common patient complaints. Its prevalence and impact
have spawned a rapidly expanding range of tests and treatments. Some of these have …

Background: Acromioplasty for impingement syndrome of the shoulder is one of the most
common orthopaedic surgical procedures. The rate with which this procedure is performed has …

Context Back and neck problems are among the symptoms most commonly encountered in
clinical practice. However, few studies have examined national trends in expenditures for …

Context In recent decades, the fastest growth in lumbar surgery occurred in older patients
with spinal stenosis. Trials indicate that for selected patients, decompressive surgery offers an …

Study Design. Review and analysis of data from two US national surveys in 2002. Objectives.
To examine the prevalence of back pain and physician visits for back pain in the United …

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study using national sample administrative data.
Objectives. To determine if lumbar fusion rates increased in the 1990s and to compare lumbar …

… Address correspondence and reprint requests to Brook I. Martin, PhD, MPH, University of
Utah Department of Orthopaedics, 590 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108; E-mail: [email …

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study using a hospital discharge registry of all nonfederal
acute care hospitals in Washington state. Objectives. To determine the cumulative …

Study Design. Analysis of nationally representative survey data for spine-related health care
expenditures, utilization and self-reported health status. Objective. To study trends from …

Background: Utilization of total knee and hip arthroplasty has greatly increased in the past
decade in the United States; these are among the most expensive procedures in patients with …