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Efficacy and characteristics of physiotherapy interventions in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review.

European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
June 1, 2022
Federico Temporiti et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

To determine the efficacy of physiotherapy approaches, including weight-supported walking, in treating lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and compare their delivery characteristics.

Results Summary

Three weeks of weight-supported walking improved pain and disability in LSS patients, though the evidence was rated as very low. Six weeks of cycling reduced disability compared to weight-supported walking, with low evidence supporting this finding.

Population

Patients with clinical diagnosis of LSS confirmed through imaging techniques.

Effective Dosage

Not specified (intervention involved weight-supported walking).

Duration

3 weeks for weight-supported walking.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (8)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Three weeks of weight-supported walking
decrease
pain and disability
patients with LSS
-
improved
#1
8 weeks of aquatic exercises
increase
pain and walking tolerance
patients with LSS
-
improved
#2
Six weeks of cycling
decrease
disability
patients with LSS
-
reduced
#3
Six weeks of manual therapy plus exercise
no change
-
patients with LSS
-
was not superior
#4
Six weeks of manual therapy plus exercise
increase
pain, walking tolerance, disability and quality of life
patients with LSS
-
improved
#5
2 weeks of electromagnetic fields
neutral
-
patients with LSS
-
supported
#6
TENS
no change
-
patients with LSS
-
revealed no effects
#7
ultrasounds
no change
-
patients with LSS
-
revealed no effects
#8
Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of physiotherapy approaches used in the treatment of LSS and compare their delivery characteristics. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, PEDro, CINAHL and Web of Science databases, from inception until March 2021. Inclusion criteria were clinical diagnosis of LSS confirmed through imaging techniques, RCTs written in English comparing physiotherapy interventions among them or versus placebo or usual care without restrictions on treatment and follow-up duration, outcomes related to pain, physical function, disability and quality of life. Two independent reviewers assessed records for eligibility and methodological quality (PEDro scale) and extracted participants' characteristics, interventions details and outcome measures at each timepoint. Pooled or un-pooled findings were reported as mean difference with 95% confidence interval, depending on heterogeneity. Evidence quality was rated using the GRADE approach. RESULTS: Twelve studies (944 patients, mean PEDro score 7.6, range 5-9) were included. Three weeks of weight-supported walking improved pain and disability, while 8 weeks of aquatic exercises improved pain and walking tolerance (very low evidence). Six weeks of cycling reduced disability compared to weight-supported walking (low evidence). Six weeks of manual therapy plus exercise was not superior to supervised exercises (low evidence), but improved pain, walking tolerance, disability and quality of life compared to home/group exercises (moderate to very low evidence). Very low evidence supported 2 weeks of electromagnetic fields, whereas TENS (low evidence) and ultrasounds (very low evidence) revealed no effects. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may assist clinicians in delivering effective physiotherapy interventions in LSS patients.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Exercise TherapyHumansPainPhysical Therapy ModalitiesQuality of LifeSpinal Stenosis
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations3
Citations/Year1.0
Relative Citation Ratio0.66
NIH Percentile35.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.52
Normalized Score0.65
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