Physical Therapy Versus Surgical Decompression for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
This is a randomized controlled multicenter trail comparing physical therapy to surgical decompression in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. The 0-hypothesis is that there is no difference in the efficacy of structured physical therapy compared to surgical decompression. Our aim is to evaluate if physical therapy can serve as a nonsurgical alternative for patients with LSS, where the severity of symptoms indicates the need of surgical decompression.
• Patients describing intermittent neurogenic claudication when walking and symptoms revealed by flexion of the spine.
• MRI shows lumbar spinal stenosis in one or two levels measured.
• The duration of the symptoms is longer than six months
• The patient is a candidate for surgical treatment
• The patient is capable of physical exercise