Supervised physical therapy vs. home exercise for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract
BACKGROUND CONTEXT
Exercise has been reported to improve short-term outcomes for patients with LSS in terms of disability and back and leg pain. However, no studies have compared supervised exercise with unsupervised exercise or quantified physical activity using a pedometer to confirm compliance with a home exercise program.
PURPOSE
To compare the effectiveness of supervised physical therapy (PT) with unsupervised exercise for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
STUDY DESIGN/SETTING
A single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial.
PATIENTS SAMPLE
Patients presenting with symptoms of neurogenic claudication caused by LSS, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.
OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome was improvement in symptom severity scores on the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes included physical function on the ZCQ, self-paced walking test (SPWT) performance, pain indicated using a numerical rating scale (NRS), and the number of daily steps measured by pedometer.
METHODS
Patients with LSS were randomized to a PT group, who performed supervised PT twice a week for 6 weeks, or a home exercise (HE) group. PT sessions included manual therapy, individually tailored stretching and strengthening exercises, cycling, and body weight-supported treadmill walking.
RESULTS
Forty-three patients were randomly allocated to the PT group and 43 patients to the HE group. Compared with the HE group, the PT group had greater…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 43 participants or records.
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