Synopsis Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), commonly known as "arthritis of the spine" is considered as the most common reason for elderly adults to have back (spinal) surgery. Importantly, some patients with stenosis do not even need back surgery and can be significantly treated by nonsurgical alternatives, including medication, physical therapy, and chiropractic exercises. However, there is clearly an evidence-gap about these nonsurgical treatment options for LSS in the elderly population.
This week’s “ MED FACT ” discusses a three-arm, single-center, randomized clinical trial from JAMA, ‘ Comparative Clinical Effectiveness of Nonsurgical Treatment Methods in Patients With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial ’, Jan 2019. Authors : Schneider M J, Ammendolia C, Murphy D R, et al . Key Takeaways Nonsurgical treatments resulted in improvement in self-reported pain/function…
