VOA常速英语2008年-Back Pain, Costs of Treatment Up Sharply in US

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
14 February 2008
 

Back pain is one of the most common problems plaguing aging societies. And Americans are now spending more money than ever before to treat it. But a new study says that some of the treatments do not seem to do much good. VOA's Carol Pearson has the story.

Eighty percent of Americans experience back pain at some time in their lives.

Bruce Wilson has a ruptured¹ disk in his back and degenerative joint² disease. He has had five surgeries and spent nearly $270,000 treating his persistent³ pain. He explains, "I just can't sit, stand or walk for any kind of extended period of time."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that back pain is a leading cause of disability and the second-leading cause of missed work in the United States.

Back pain is a symptom of arthritis⁴ or problems with nerves or disks or muscles. Older people are more likely to suffer from these problems than the young.

Americans are now spending more money than ever before on drugs and surgeries to treat back pain.

But how much good does it do?

"We may be over-prescribing, over-utilizing and over-treating people with back problems," says research scientist Brook⁵ Martin and others at the University of Washington who analyzed the data on back pain for an eight-year period from 1997 through 2005.

They found costs for treating spine⁶ problems had increased roughly 65 percent over the period, yet people with spine problems reported more disability and a lower quality of life in 2005 than they had in 1997.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sohail Mirza says treatment needs to be more carefully thought out. "We need to look more carefully at newer technologies and newer procedures that cost more and see if they really make a meaningful difference for patients," he said.

The complete study can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 ruptured   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了，预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

4 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

5 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

6 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。