Back surgery can effectively relieve pain for certain back problems faster than nonsurgical means, a new study shows. On the other hand, waiting to see if the pain goes away on its own won't affect the outcome of surgery if you decide to have an operation later on, a second study found. Both of the studies, published in the May 31 New England Journal of Medicine, compared surgical treatment of back and leg pain (sciatica) caused by disc herniation or a condition called lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis, which occurs when one vertebra in the back slips forward onto another. Source: abc News