Lumbar canal stenosis: start with nonsurgical therapy.

Cleve Clin J Med · 2002

other · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Although surgery is widely viewed as the definitive therapy for lumbar spinal stenosis, no randomized trials have compared surgical vs medical treatment. One study found that 60% of surgically treated patients improved, compared with 30% of those treated nonsurgically. We believe an initial nonsurgical approach is advisable for most patients.