Abstract

ENGELBRECHT, PR et al. Can active conservative intervention limit lumbar-spinal surgery?. SA orthop. j. [online]. 2008, vol.7, n.2, pp.24-34. ISSN 2309-8309.

The objective of this study was to ascertain the effectiveness of an inter-disciplinary, cognitive and exercise-based active treatment programme to reduce the incidence of lumbar-spinal surgery. Patients were treated using internationally validated treatment protocols. A total of 234 patients, already advised to undergo lumbar-spinal surgery, were treated conservatively from 2005 until 2007. After an initial 6 weeks of active treatment, patients were put on a maintenance programme. Nineteen patients required lumbar-spinal surgery. The authors concluded that an active, inter-disciplinary and cognitive exercise-based treatment programme limited lumbar-spinal surgery to 8% in a case-controlled cohort of patients who had already been advised to undergo surgery.

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