Spinal Stenosis
Surgical and nonsurgical management of lumbar
spinal stenosis. Four-year outcomes from the Maine Lumbar
Spine Study. Atlas, SJ, Keller RB, Robson D et al. Spine
March 1, 2000:25(5), pp 556-62.
From 1990-1992, 148 Maine patients
diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis elected to have surgical
or non-surgical care. 8.3% decided on non-surgical care which
consisted of bed rest, back exercises, spinal manipulation,
narcotic analgesics and epidural steroids. The outcomes were
compared. After four years 70% of the surgically treated patients
and 52% of the nonsurgically treated patients reported improvement
in their symptoms.
Nonsurgically treated patients reported no
significant change in outcome over the four years whereas the
initial improvement noted in the surgery group decreased during
that time.
Copyright 2004 Koren Publications, Inc. & Tedd
Koren, D.C.