ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2020
Early postoperative physical activity and function: a descriptive case series study of 53 patients after lumbar spine surgery.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04968821 (Telehealth Physical Activity Intervention After Lumbar Spine Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Telehealth Physical Activity Intervention After Lumbar Spine Surgery
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Long-Term Follow-Up of a Person-Centered Prehabilitation Program Based on Cognitive-Behavioral Physical Therapy for Patients Scheduled for Lumbar Fusion.Physical therapy · 2024Trial
- Combining Wearable Technology and Telehealth Counseling for Rehabilitation After Lumbar Spine Surgery: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Physical Activity Intervention.Physical therapy · 2024Trial
- Symptom relief does not fully reflect functional adaptation after lumbar decompression: longitudinal changes in lifting biomechanics following surgery for degenerative lumbar stenosis.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 · 2026Article
- Feasibility of Smartphone-Derived Short-Interval Walking Tests for Monitoring Functional Recovery After Spine Surgery.JOR spine · 2026Article
- Minimal clinically important difference of the 6-Minute walk test and daily step count at 3 months following surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis.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 · 2025Article
- Therapeutic exercise following lumbar spine surgery: a narrative review.North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- A multidimensional in-depth analysis of postoperative pain after PLIF in patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Accelerometer-based daily physical activity monitoring in patients with postpartum sacroiliac joint dysfunction: a case-control study.International biomechanics · 2024Article
- The Functional Efficiency of Older Patients after Lumbar Spine Surgery, the Impact of Pain, and the Passage of Time: Tips for Care Providers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Minimal Clinically Important Differences in Gait and Balance Ability in Patients Who Underwent Corrective Long Spinal Fusion for Adult Spinal Deformity.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- Accelerometry Data Delineate Phases of Recovery and Supplement Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Following Lumbar Laminectomy.World neurosurgery · 2022Article
- Accelerometry-based physical activity, disability and quality of life before and after lumbar decompression surgery from a physiotherapeutic perspective: An observational cohort study.North American Spine Society journal · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of this prospective case series study was to compare changes in early postoperative physical activity and physical function between 6 weeks and 3 and 6 months after lumbar spine surgery.
methodsFifty-three patients (mean [95% confidence interval; CI] age = 59.2 [56.2, 62.3] years, 64% female) who underwent spine surgery for a degenerative lumbar condition were assessed at 6 weeks and 3- and 6-months after surgery. The outcomes were objectively-measured physical activity (accelerometry) and patient-reported and objective physical function. Physical activity was assessed using mean steps/day and time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over a week. Physical function measures included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and 10-Meter Walk (10 MW). We compared changes over time in physical activity and function using generalized estimating equations with robust estimator and first-order autoregressive covariance structure. Proportion of patients who engaged in meaningful physical activity (e.g., walked at least 4400 and 6000 steps/day or engaged in at least 150 min/week in MVPA) and achieved clinically meaningful changes in physical function were compared at 3 and 6 months.
resultsAfter surgery, 72% of patients initiated physical therapy (mean [95%CI] sessions =8.5 [6.6, 10.4]) between 6 weeks and 3 months. Compared to 6 weeks post-surgery, no change in steps/day or time in MVPA/week was observed at 3 or 6 months. From 21 to 23% and 9 to 11% of participants walked at least 4400 and 6000 steps/day at 3 and 6 months, respectively, while none of the participants spent at least 150 min/week in MVPA at these same time points. Significant improvements were observed on ODI, SF-12, TUG and 10 MW (p < 0.05), with over 43 to 68% and 62 to 87% achieving clinically meaningful improvements on these measures at 3 and 6 months, respectively.
conclusionLimited improvement was observed in objectively-measured physical activity from 6 weeks to 6 months after spine surgery, despite moderate to large function gains. Early postoperative physical therapy interventions targeting physical activity may be needed.
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Registered trials
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