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Study: Surgery More Effective Treatment For Spinal Problems Than Non-Surgical Therapies
| Author: Tony Cappasso |
| Article Date: 3/10/2008 |
A research team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have found that surgery to correct a condition called spinal stenosis is more effective in treating the condition than were non-surgical treatments. The scientists’ conclusions are published in the February 21, 2008 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
In spinal stenosis, the passage in the spinal canal through which nerves pass becomes narrowed. This puts pressure in nerves that pass through the canal and innervate the lower back, hips and legs. The surgical treatment for this condition is called a laminectomy.
The study results come from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that involved about 654 patients at 13 treatment centers across the country. Rush was the only medical center in Illinois involved in the study.
The study followed 654 surgical candidate patients with a history of at least 12 weeks of symptoms and spinal stenosis, of whom 398 ultimately received decompressive surgery. After two years, 63 percent of those who had surgery said they had a major improvement in their condition, compared with 29 percent among those who got nonsurgical treatment.
In terms of self-reported pain and function, both groups improved over the two-year period, though the final scores for patient who had surgery were in the 60-point range, while scores for those who stuck with non-surgical treatments, such as physical therapy, were in the low 40s. The study separated patients who stuck with their random assignment to surgery or nonsurgery options. The randomized patients’ results were very similar to those who selected one course or the other.
In spinal stenosis, the passage in the spinal canal through which nerves pass becomes narrowed. This puts pressure in nerves that pass through the canal and innervate the lower back, hips and legs. The surgical treatment for this condition is called a laminectomy.
The study results come from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that involved about 654 patients at 13 treatment centers across the country. Rush was the only medical center in Illinois involved in the study.
The study followed 654 surgical candidate patients with a history of at least 12 weeks of symptoms and spinal stenosis, of whom 398 ultimately received decompressive surgery. After two years, 63 percent of those who had surgery said they had a major improvement in their condition, compared with 29 percent among those who got nonsurgical treatment.
In terms of self-reported pain and function, both groups improved over the two-year period, though the final scores for patient who had surgery were in the 60-point range, while scores for those who stuck with non-surgical treatments, such as physical therapy, were in the low 40s. The study separated patients who stuck with their random assignment to surgery or nonsurgery options. The randomized patients’ results were very similar to those who selected one course or the other.