Trial reportEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2013
The effect of timing of rehabilitation on physical performance after lumbar spinal fusion: a randomized clinical study.
Trial report in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03349580 (Early Initiation of a Strength Training Based Rehabilitation After Lumbar Spine Fusion Improves Core Muscle Strength), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Early Initiation of a Strength Training Based Rehabilitation After Lumbar Spine Fusion Improves Core Muscle Strength
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- [Pre- and postoperative fast-track treatment concepts in spinal surgery : patient information and patient cooperation].Der Orthopade · 2014Pooled it
- Early initiation of a strength training based rehabilitation after lumbar spine fusion improves core muscle strength: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2018Trial
- The effect of walking speed on spinal loads and trunk muscle forces using subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling: A database for clinical and modeling applications.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Article
- Physical therapies after surgery for lumbar disc herniation- evidence synthesis from 55 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and a total of 4,311 patients.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- Unveiling Timetable for Physical Therapy after Single-Level Lumbar Surgery for Degenerative Disc Disease: Insights from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Impact of Active Physiotherapy Rehabilitation on Pain and Global and Functional Improvement 1-2 Months after Lumbar Disk Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Best Practices for Postoperative Management of Posterior Sacroiliac Joint Fusion.Journal of pain research · 2022Review
- A descriptive study of the utilization of physical therapy for postoperative rehabilitation in patients undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2016Article
- Determining clinical practice of expert physiotherapy for patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion: a cross-sectional survey study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe number of patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion procedures (LSF) has risen in recent years, but only few studies have examined different rehabilitation strategies for this patient group. PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of initiating rehabilitation either 6 or 12 weeks after a LSF based on the patients' physical performance using the 6-min walking test (6MWT) and the Åstrand Fitness test (AF-test) as measurement.
methodsA multicentre RCT including 82 patients with degenerative disc diseases undergoing LSF randomly assigned to initiate rehabilitation either 6 or 12 weeks after surgery. Both groups received the same group-based rehabilitation. The main outcome measures were the 6MWT and the AF-test, secondarily questionnaire-based measures. Follow-up at baseline as well as at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery.
resultsComparing the two groups no statistically significant difference was found in walking distance or fitness over time. In both groups, the patients achieved an overall increase in walking distance (p < 0.01), but no improvement in fitness. The 6MWT showed significant correlation (-0.37 to -0.59) with the questionnaire-based outcome measures (p < 0.01). The AF-test did not correlate to either the 6MWT or any of the questionnaire-based outcome measures.
conclusionNo difference was found in the effect of initiating rehabilitation either 6 or 12 weeks after LSF on the patients' physical performance in terms of fitness and walking distance. The 6MWT showed fair to moderate correlation to the questionnaire-based outcome measures. The AF-test showed no significant independent value, and we question its use in LSF patients.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.