>Is there really any real, reproducible and trustworthy source of info on the topic? There are a few longitudinal studies on surgical versus conservative treat

>Is there really any real, reproducible and trustworthy source of info on the topic? There are a few longitudinal studies on surgical versus conservative treatments for back pain. However due to the long duration of the disease there tends to be a high dropout rate. Also the risks of surgery tend to have a long incubation time (re-hernias at 5 or 10 years on for example). Even with the most rigorous studies it is a very hard field to pin down exact probabilities for.