A recent lawsuit filed by Terry Bollea has gained national media attention. Bollea, better known by his stage name of Hulk Hogan, has filed a $50 million medical malpractice lawsuit against doctors who he claims performed ineffective procedures that only served to worsen his condition.

After years on the pro-wrestling circuit, Bollea had sustained severe damage to his lower back. Seeking relief from the constant pain which prevented him from re-entering the wrestling ring, Bollea sought the advice of at least three separate medical professionals.

All three doctors with whom he consulted agreed Bollea's back problems could be improved with a surgical procedure known as lumbar fusion. Fearing undergoing an invasive surgical procedure, Bollea followed a friend's recommendation and visited a doctor who performed laser spinal procedures.

This doctor, along with his colleagues, convinced the pro-wrestler that they would be able to treat and effectively cure his back injury through a course of minimally invasive laser procedures.

After undergoing several such procedures, however, Bollea's condition had not improved. Rather, he contends in the lawsuit, he suffered additional damage and bone loss to his back as a result of the laser treatments.

Bollea has filed a $50 million medical malpractice lawsuit against three doctors who treated him at the medical facility. The amount he seeks to recover is based upon past and future lost earnings the pro-wrestler asserts he is unable to recoup as a result of his permanent back injury.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, "Wrestler Hulk Hogan sues Laser Spine Institute, alleging unnecessary surgeries," Curtis Krueger and Letitia Stein, Jan. 15, 2013