Restoring & Retraining Motion: An Alternative to Spinal Stenosis Surgery

Researchers compared two year follow-up results for similar back pain patients and found similar outcomes for those who had surgical decompression compared to others who had a therapy regimen to restore and retrain motion.

Their Conclusion: “Patients and health care providers should engage in shared decision-making conversations that include full disclosure of evidence involving

surgical and nonsurgical treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis.”

Dr. Weiniger’s Conclusion: All lumbar spinal stenosis cases considering surgery should have a trial of therapy which includes tightly focused exercises to retrain motion, and spinal manipulative therapy as appropriate to restore potential motion.

Delitto, A., Piva, S. R., Moore, C. G., Fritz, J. M., Wisniewski, S. R., Josbeno, D. A., Welch, W. C. (2015).  Surgery versus nonsurgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis:  A randomized trial.  Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(7), 465-73. doi:10.7326/M14-142.  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20453723