Association of Neuromuscular Attributes With Performance-Based Mobility Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Symptomatic Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

This was a cross-sectional observational analysis, so it can show links at one point in time but cannot show that the neuromuscular attributes caused the mobility problems. The symptomatic stenosis group was small, with 54 participants, which may have made it hard to detect other important associations. Boston RISE was not a population-based sample, so the results may not apply to all older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis. Symptomatic stenosis was defined by self-reported neurogenic claudication plus imaging reports from medical records or ancillary CT scans, not by imaging done as part of the original study protocol. The imaging definition was strict, and 122 participants were excluded because they lacked qualifying imaging or their stenosis severity did not meet criteria. Missing neuromuscular data were estimated using a statistical method, so some values were not directly measured. When the researchers repeated the analysis with a broader group of 79 participants that included less severe imaging stenosis, some results changed, including adding leg speed as a predictor of mobility scores.

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Do not conclude that these neuromuscular attributes caused the mobility problems or that treating them will improve walking. The study measured attributes and mobility at the same visit and did not test an intervention.