text_1: Nerve Zap Might Ease Pain of Herniated Disk
text_2: This story describes research results presented at a radiology meeting that compared treating patients with lower back pain from disk herniation with either a pulsed radiofrequency (pRF) probe or multiple steroid injections. We also reviewed a news release about this research. Among the story’s strengths: It alerts readers that the study — presented as an abstract — has yet to be peer-reviewed and published, and it provides cautious comments from an independent source, although they appear at the very end. However, the story leaves readers in the dark about how the treatment was evaluated and what it costs, and misses some important limitations with the evidence. It largely ignored potential harms, including the possibility that some patients might be treated unnecessarily because the cause of back pain can be difficult to diagnose. Back pain is a common problem. Often it goes away with time and exercise. But chronic pain that does not respond to conservative treatment and includes shooting pain into the buttocks and leg (sciatica) is a leading cause of disability and an economic burden. More treatment options are needed, but identifying the true source of pain is part of the battle.