In two separate studies, one at the Mayo Clinic and another in Australia, patients who were given simulated vertebro-plasties reported the same pain reduction as patients who were given actual ones. Researchers say it's possible that the operation's benefits come from a placebo effect or from the prolonged effects of the numbing medication.
About 38,000 vertebro-plasties are done in the US each year.
Both studies are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
