The Concerns and Experiences of Patients With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Regarding Prehabilitation and Recovery After Spine Surgery: A Qualitative Study.
Alan K H Lam, Olivia H Y Fung, Crystal Kwan and 6 others
PMID 36545515WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis wanted more clear information before surgery.
Many feared prehabilitation because pain and travel made clinic visits hard. Postoperative exercises were generally seen as helpful, but pandemic closures and comorbidities hindered recovery for some.
Key findings
01Although all participants obtained lumbar spinal stenosis information from surgeons, 24 wanted more details about the condition and its management.
02Seven of 15 control-group participants worried they could not follow an exercise regimen or travel to a clinic because of severe symptoms.
03Seventeen participants deemed therapeutic exercises helped them regain lumbar range of motion, lower limb muscle strength, and walking ability after surgery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited from a clinical trial, so their experiences may differ from those not involved in research. Only 33% of participants were female, which may limit generalizability given gender differences in pain perception. Interviews occurred 6 months post-surgery, introducing potential recall bias. The study did not recruit equal numbers from prehabilitation and control groups, though data saturation was achieved. Participants who declined interviews may have had different experiences from those who participated.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund, Food and Health Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that prehabilitation is ineffective or harmful based on this study. It reports patient perceptions and barriers, not clinical outcomes. The negative attitudes toward prehabilitation reflect fears about pain and travel, not evidence that the program fails to improve function.