Observational studyBMC musculoskeletal disorders2024
Spinal fusion surgery use among adults with low back pain enrolled in a digital musculoskeletal program: an observational study.
Observational study in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparison between spinal fusion vs. nonoperative treatment for lumbar degenerative pathology: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2025Pooled it
- Propensity Scores for Observational Studies: Putting Real World Data and Experience to Good Use in Spine Research!Global spine journal · 2026Review
- Digital Versus In-Person Physical Therapy in Adults With Musculoskeletal Conditions: Retrospective Matched-Cohort Analysis of Surgery and Low-Value Surgical Rates.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Surgery for post-traumatic hydrocephalus: lessons, challenges and future directions.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo compare 12-month spinal fusion surgery rates in the setting of low back pain among digital musculoskeletal (MSK) program participants versus a comparison cohort who only received usual care. STUDY
designRetrospective cohort study with propensity score matched comparison cohort using commercial medical claims data representing over 100 million commercially insured lives.
methodsAll study subjects experienced low back pain between January 2020 and December 2021. Digital MSK participants enrolled in the digital MSK low back program between January 2020 and December 2021. Non-participants had low back pain related physical therapy (PT) between January 2020 and December 2021. Digital MSK participants were matched to non-participants with similar demographics, comorbidities and baseline MSK-related medical care use. Spinal fusion surgery rates at 12 months post participation were compared.
resultsCompared to non-participants, digital MSK participants had lower rates of spinal fusion surgery in the post-period (0.7% versus 1.6%; p < 0.001). Additionally, in the augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW) model, digital MSK participants were found to have decreased odds of undergoing spinal fusion surgery (adjusted odds ratio: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.51-0.81).
conclusionsThis study provides evidence that participation in a digital MSK program is associated with a lower rate of spinal fusion surgery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.