According to a new report, thousands of unnecessary surgeries are being performed on the knees and backs of Canadians, particularly osteoarthritis patients.

New data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals 3,600 therapeutic knee arthroscopies and 1,050 vertebroplasties carried out in Canadian hospitals between fiscal year 2008 – 2009.

There is increasing evidence in both case that the procedures are largely ineffective in combating certain ailments.

A minimally invasive surgery, knee arthroscopy was once used for diagnosing and treating a host of minor knee problems, however, it is no longer used as studies show it does little to reduce pain, with most of the patients requiring knee replacements, within a year.

Vertebroplasty, a spinal surgery has bone cement infused into fractured vertebrae via a small incision. Recent studies show compression fractures, common in those with osteoporosis, are no better than undergoing a fake procedure. Even so, the past three years have seen a doubling ibn the number of vertebroplasties performed in Canada.

The CIHI report also highlights the large variations in the number of caesarean sections and hysterectomies performed across Canada i. e. 23% c-sections in Newfoundland and Labrador, compared to 14% in Manitoba.

While, there were 311 hysterectomies per 100,000 population in B. C., compared to a high of 512 per 100,000 population in PEI.