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Comparison between walking test and treadmill test for intermittent claudication associated with lumbar spinal canal stenosis

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Abstract

Purpose

To clarify the priorities of the walking test and the treadmill test for intermittent claudication of lumbar canal stenosis.

Methods

The study population comprised 45 subjects, with a mean age of 72.6 years. An investigator walked with the subjects during the walking test or watched the subjects walking on the treadmill machine in the treadmill test.

Results

The pain scales became significantly worse after the walking test. Ten patients who were diagnosed as root symptom type or cauda equine symptoms were subsequently diagnosed as mixed type by the walking test. The numbers of patients who experienced muscle weakness that was not revealed at rest were eight with the walking test and seven with the treadmill test. The numbers of patients who experienced sensory disturbance that was not observed at rest were seven with the walking test and two with the treadmill test.

Conclusions

The walking test detected significantly more symptoms that were not detected at rest than the treadmill test.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to members of rehabilitation medicine Misasa Onsen Hospital for helpful suggestions.

Conflict of interest

Each author certifies that he has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. Each author certifies that Misasa Onsen Hospital has approved the reporting of this manuscript report, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained. This work was performed at Misasa Onsen Hospital.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Orthopedic Surgery, Misasa Onsen Hospital, 690 Yamada, Misasa-cho, Touhaku-gun, Tottori, 682-0197, Japan

    Shinji Tanishima, Satoru Fukada, Hiroyuki Ishii & Yasuo Morio

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonago Medical Center, 17-1 Kuzumo, Yonago, Tottori, 683-0006, Japan

    Toshiyuki Dokai

  3. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-machi, Yonago, Tottori, 638-8504, Japan

    Hideki Nagashima

Authors
  1. Shinji Tanishima
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  2. Satoru Fukada
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  3. Hiroyuki Ishii
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  4. Toshiyuki Dokai
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  5. Yasuo Morio
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  6. Hideki Nagashima
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Correspondence to Shinji Tanishima.

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Tanishima, S., Fukada, S., Ishii, H. et al. Comparison between walking test and treadmill test for intermittent claudication associated with lumbar spinal canal stenosis. Eur Spine J 24, 327–332 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-014-3511-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-014-3511-8

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