Summit Orthopedics

Study: Surgery Best for Spinal Stenosis

A recent study shows that surgery for a common back condition – spinal stenosis – significantly reduces back pain and improves functionality more than treatment with drugs and physical therapy.

The study, called SPORT (Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial), compared surgical and nonsurgical treatments for several common back ailments including spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a condition that affects more than 400,000 in the United States. It is a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back that causes pinching and irritating of the nerves, resulting in back pain, leg pain, weakness, and loss of balance.

Spine surgeons at Summit Orthopedics always consider conservative, nonsurgical treatment first. If improvement is not seen, surgeons will give the patient an option to undergo surgery; the study confirms that surgery can have more favorable results.

A laminectomy is a common surgical procedure to treat spinal stenosis. Another procedure entails inserting an implant called X Stop. Both are viable options, but the X Stop is less invasive for those who are candidates.

Says Dr. Bryan Lynn, spine surgeon with Summit Orthopedics: “The X Stop procedure has only been used in the United States since 2005, but short term results are very encouraging.”