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e-Health pilot program shows feasibility, effectiveness in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis
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A new e-health program launched to help control weight in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis was found to be appealing to and effective for patients who participated.
The Spinal Stenosis Pedometer and Nutrition Lifestyle Intervention (SSPANLI) pilot program included nine overweight or obese individuals with clinically confirmed lumbar spinal stenosis. The first week of the program involved the participants (mean age: 67.5 years) receiving a pedometer, as well as a consultation from a dietician and an exercise physiologist. For the next 12 weeks, participants logged on to the program website to view personal step goals, educational videos on nutrition and discussion boards.
Follow-up was performed at week 13. The study’s outcome measures included participant-reported food record, SF-36, pain scales, Swiss Spinal Stenosis Symptom and Physical Function Scales, Oswestry Disability Index and Pain Catastrophizing Questionnaire, among others.
The researchers observed significant improvements for weight, fat mass, energy intake, symptom severity on the Swiss Symptom Scale and several other factors. Mental health scores derived by the SF-36 Questionnaire also improved considerably, according to the researchers.
Fat mass in the participants decreased from 34.6% to 32.4% and trunk fat decreased from 34.6% to 32.7%, according to study data. Additionally, 89% of participants also decreased their K-calorie intake while in the program.
The researchers concluded that intervention with this program could help manage weight in obese lumbar spinal stenosis patients. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
Back to TopThomas E. Mroz, MD
In this study, Tomkins-Lane and colleagues report on a pilot study designed to evaluate an e-health weight loss and exercise regimen for 10 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
This study demonstrated that in this small cohort of LSS patients, a structured education program and daily self-engagement with exercise and food consumption resulted in improvement in weight, activity and certain patient reported outcomes in just 13 weeks. The authors should be congratulated on this unique initiative as it helps to set the stage for future alternative care platforms. The latter are exceedingly important as we move toward a value-based health care economy in which such care platforms will become an integral part of delivering care to a broader subset of patients at lower cost.
I am interested to see the results of this particular platform in a larger subset of patients.
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