SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2022
Rehabilitation to improve outcomes of lumbar fusion surgery: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Synthesis 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, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quadriceps, hamstring and patella tendon autografts for primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction demonstrate similar clinical outcomes, including graft failure, joint laxity and complications: A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026Pooled it
- The Added Value and the Efficacy of Preoperative Physiotherapy on Degenerative Diseases of the Lumbar Spine: A Systematic Review.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Summary of the best evidence for early mobilization after lumbar spinal fusion surgery: a systematic review.BMC surgery · 2025Pooled it
- 'It Felt Safe'. Experiences With an Early Cognitive Behavioural Approach After Lumbar Spinal Surgery: A Qualitative Study of Participants' Perspectives.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026Trial
- Early functional training is not superior to routine rehabilitation in improving walking distance and multifidus atrophy after lumbar fusion: a randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.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 · 2025Trial
- 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
- Barriers to Adhering to Post-operative Recovery in Spinal Decompression Surgery and Impact on Patient-Reported Outcomes.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- Progressive Early Mobilization and Its Impact on Pain and Function After Lumbar Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Retrospective Study Based on the Oswestry Disability Index.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Therapeutic exercise following lumbar spine surgery: a narrative review.North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- Comparison of Guided Exercise and Self-Paced Exercise After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comprehensive Approaches to Pain Management in Postoperative Spinal Surgery Patients: Advanced Strategies and Future Directions.Neurology international · 2025Review
- A pre-, peri- and postoperative rehabilitation pathway for lumbar fusion surgery (REACT): a nonrandomized controlled clinical trial.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
- Surgeon Preferences Worldwide in Wound Drain Utilization in Open Lumbar Fusion Surgery for Degenerative Pathologies.Global spine journal · 2025Article
- Comparative Effectiveness of Optimized Versus Conventional Perioperative Care in Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy for Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
- Cost-Utility Analysis of a pre-, peri- and postoperative rehabilitation pathway versus usual care in patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- Home Rehabilitation Experience and Influencing Factors in Frail Elderly Patients with Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Qualitative Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Preoperative rehabilitation optimization for spinal surgery: a narrative review of assessment, interventions, and feasibility.Spine deformity · 2024Review
- What is the volume, quality and characteristics of evidence relating to the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multi-disciplinary occupational health interventions aiming to improve work-related outcomes for employed adults? An evidence and gap map of systematic reviews.Campbell systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies on disability, pain, pain-related fear, and return-to-work in patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative conditions or adult isthmic spondylolisthesis.
methodsSix electronic databases were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of rehabilitation (unimodal or multimodal). The estimated effect size was calculated for interventions with homogeneous content using a random-effects model. Certainty of evidence was assessed by GRADE.
resultsIn total, 18 RCTs, including 1402 unique patients, compared specific rehabilitation to other rehabilitation strategies or usual care. Most described indications were degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis. All rehabilitation interventions were delivered in the postoperative period, and six of them also included a preoperative component. Intervention dose and intensity varied between studies (ranging from one session to daily sessions for one month). Usual care consisted mostly of information and postoperative mobilization. At short term, low quality of evidence shows that exercise therapy was more effective for reducing disability and pain than usual care (standardized mean difference [95% CI]: -0.41 [-0.71; -0.10] and -0.36 [-0.65; -0.08], four and five studies, respectively). Multimodal rehabilitation consisted mostly of exercise therapy combined with cognitive behavioral training, and was more effective in reducing disability and pain-related fear than exercise therapy alone (-0.31 [-0.49; -0.13] and -0.64 [-1.11; -0.17], six and four studies, respectively). Effects disappeared beyond one year. Rehabilitation showed a positive tendency towards a higher return-to-work rate (pooled relative risk [95% CI]: 1.30 [0.99; 1.69], four studies).
conclusionThere is low-quality evidence showing that both exercise therapy and multimodal rehabilitation are effective for improving outcomes up to six months after lumbar fusion, with multimodal rehabilitation providing additional benefits over exercise alone in reducing disability and pain-related fear. Additional high-quality studies are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies in the long term and for work-related outcomes.
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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.