No difference in 9-year outcome in CLBP patients randomized to lumbar fusion versus cognitive intervention and exercises

This report has been verified by one or more authors of the original publication.

This study compared the 9-year outcome of 124 patients that were randomized to two different treatments. Patients with chronic low back pain received either instrumented lumbar fusion (one-third of these patients were re-operated) or cognitive intervention and exercises (one-third of these patients had been crossed over and operated). At the 9-year follow-up, no significant differences were produced between the two groups in the primary (Oswestry Disability Index) or the secondary (pain, fear-avoidance beliefs, trunk muscle strength, medication, and return to work) outcome measures.