Hacker News Reader

Is it just that "randomized clinical trials" can not exist for definitive actions like surgery or steroids, as there's nothing that can play the role of placebo?

View on HN

No, there have been sham controlled trials of surgical interventions before, they're just rare. One example is kyphoplasty.

There have been a few:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_surgery#Examples

Sham surgery for some procedures. Saline for injections.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com