A new study published in Spine examines the activity threshold for patients after undergoing lumbar spine surgery.
The study authors examined data from 422 patients and followed-up two years after surgery. The average age of the patients was 57 years old and 81 percent had a degenerative diagnosis. Sixty-three percent of the patients had multilevel surgery. The researchers found:
1. Around 35 percent of the patients met the threshold of energy expenditure per week among patients not participating in sports.
2. The researchers found not meeting this threshold was associated with revision surgery as well as surgery at three or more levels and more postoperative back pain.
3. Around 26 percent of the patients were able to meet the recommended guidelines of moderate-intensity activity for 150 minutes or more per week.
4. Not meeting the threshold for time spent on activity per week was associated with patients who had the degenerative diagnosis, subsequent spine surgery and more postoperative back pain.
5. The study authors concluded, "Patients with stable spine conditions should be encouraged to engage in prudent physical activity to decrease their risk of long-term adverse health outcomes due to inactivity."