idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Lumbar fusion is becoming an increasingly common treatment for low-back pain, but its long-term effects are relatively unknown. A doctoral thesis from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet now shows that the long-term effects are superior to those of physiotherapy.
Chronic low-back pain is treated increasingly often with lumbar fusion, by which several lower back vertebrae are fused in a way that has little impact on the back's overall mobility. Lumbar fusion has been shown to relieve pain in the short term, but no studies have examined the long-term effects of the operation and compared them with alternative, non-surgical treatments like physiotherapy.
Per Ekman is a surgeon at Stockholm South General Hospital (Södersjukhuset), and has shown in his doctoral thesis that patients who have undergone lumbar fusion also improve in the longer term. His results are based on an evaluation of 111 patients, randomly assigned treatment with lumbar fusion or physiotherapy. On a follow-up nine years later, 76 per cent of the surgical group stated that they felt better than before the operation, compared with only 50 per cent of the physiotherapy group.
"Whether lumbar fusion should be used at all for this type of back pain has long been the subject of much debate," says Dr Ekman. "My studies suggest that most patients who have undergone lumbar fusion actually feel better, and that the operation carries no great risk. However, long-term improvements are often relatively modest, and the operation should also continue to be used as a complement to physiotherapy when this treatment doesn't help."
His thesis shows that men, the physically active and the gainfully employed have somewhat higher chances of benefitting from the operation than others.
"This tells us something, but unfortunately there are still no good methods for finding those with the best chances of responding well to the operation," says Dr Ekman.
Thesis: Lumbar fusion for chronic low-back pain in isthmic spondylolisthesis, Per Ekman, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet.
For further information, contact:
Dr Per Ekman
Work: +46 (0)8-61612858
Mobile: +46 (0)73-9732684
Email: per.ekman@sodersjukhuset.se
Press Officer Katarina Sternudd
Tel: +46 (0)8-524 838 95 (forwarded to mobile)
Email: katarina.sternudd@ki.se
Karolinska Institutet is one of the leading medical universities in Europe. Through research, education and information, Karolinska Institutet contributes to improving human health. Each year, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. For more information, visit ki.se
Criteria of this press release:
Medicine
transregional, national
Research results
English
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
