A short-term oral corticosteroid for refractory lumbar spinal stenosis: a double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial

研究概要

Ninety-three patients with refractory lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) were randomized to receive 1 week of oral corticosteroid (prednisolone; n=47) or a placebo (n=46) for the improvement of functionality and relief of pain. The primary outcomes of interest was the improvement in walking distance and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The secondary outcomes of interest was pain score on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Outcomes were assessed 2 months post-treatment. Moreover, NRS pain scores, walking distance, and ODI scores were statistically significantly in favour of the corticosteroid group compared to the placebo group (p=0.01 for all). However, only walking distance showed statistically significant improvements from baseline values, in the corticosteroid group vs placebo (p<0.0001).