Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40249395›Full record

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 Society2025

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.

Hongyuan Lu, Yanqing Shen, Quanwei Shao, Zheng Huang, Yanjun Cao, Jianqing Su, Fei Li, Weiyi Xiong, Wenyao Li, Kunpeng Li and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

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, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Hongyuan Lu *Shanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yanqing Shen *School of Physical Education, Henan University, Henan, China.
Quanwei Shao *Yangpu District Central Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Zheng HuangShanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Yanjun CaoThe Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Jianqing SuThe Second Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
Fei LiThe Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Weiyi XiongThe Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Wenyao LiThe Fourth Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
Kunpeng LiSchool of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China. xyfyli@163.com.
Wei FengThe Second Rehabilitation Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, China. fwginger@126.com.ORCID 0009-0000-6287-9768

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo investigate the effects of early functional training within a 12-week rehabilitation program on walking distance and lumbar multifidus atrophy following lumbar fusion surgery.

methodsA total of 52 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery were randomly assigned to either the early functional training group (n = 26) or the routine rehabilitation group (n = 26). The early functional training group (FT group) began a progressive functional training program within the first 12 weeks post-surgery, while the routine rehabilitation group (RH group) started the same training program 12 weeks after surgery. The primary outcome was the walking distance, measured as the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) at the 3-month, and 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the multifidus muscles, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score, the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) subscales, including the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS), and the incidence of adverse events. The primary aim was evaluated using a 2-way mixed-model analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with treatment group as the between-subjects factor and time as the within-subjects factor, after adjusting for baseline measures.

resultsAmong the total patients, 38 (73.1%) left with at least one follow-up result, and 29 (55.8%) completed all treatment sessions and obtained an MRI assessment. The mixed-model ANCOVA revealed a significant group-by-time interaction for the 6MWD (F = 6.214, p = 0.003). Patients in the FT group demonstrated superior 6MWD compared to the GH group at 3 months (95% CI: 32.51 to 101.88, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the two groups at the 6-month follow-up (95% CI: -15.34 to 54.03, p = 0.271). Regarding secondary outcomes, no significant group-by-time effects were found for ODI (F = 1.221, p = 0.299), PCS (F = 0.166, p = 0.847), or MCS (F = 0.282, p = 0.755). No significant differences were found in the CSA of multifidus muscles between the groups. Nine patients (17.3%) experienced adverse events.

conclusionEarly functional training after lumbar fusion was not superior to routine rehabilitation in improving walking distance, multifidus atrophy, pain, physical function, and quality of life during the 6-month follow-up. Trial registration number (TRN): ChiCTR2300068296.

Indexed as

Exercise TherapyLumbar VertebraeMuscular AtrophyParaspinal MusclesSpinal FusionWalkingAdultAgedFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeFunctional trainingMultifidusRandomized controlled trialSpinal fusionWalking

Identifiers

PMID40249395

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.