Home-based cycling program tailored to older people with lumbar spinal stenosis: Barriers and facilitators

Lumbar-flexion-based endurance training, namely cycling, could be effective in reducing pain and improving function and health-related quality of life in older people with chronic low back pain.

To assess barriers and facilitators to home-based cycling in older patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

We conducted a retrospective mixed-method study. Patients≥50 years old followed up for LSS from November 2015 to June 2016 in a French tertiary care center were screened. The intervention consisted of a single supervised session followed by home-based sessions of cycling, with dose (number of sessions and duration, distance and power per session) self-determined by patient preference. The primary outcome was assessed by a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews at baseline and 3 months and was the identification of barriers and facilitators to the intervention. Secondary outcomes were assessed by a quantitative approach and were adherence monitored by a USB stick connected to the bicycle, burden of treatment assessed by the Exercise Therapy Burden Questionnaire (ETBQ) and clinical efficacy assessed by change in lumbar pain, radicular pain, disability, spine-specific activity limitation and maximum walking distance at 3 months.

Overall, 15 patients were included and data for 12 were analyzed at 3 months. At baseline, the mean age was 70.9 years (95% CI: 64.9-76.8) and 9/15 patients (60.0%) were women. Barriers to cycling were fear of pain and fatigue, a too large bicycle, burden of hospital follow-up and lack of time and motivation. Facilitators were clinical improvement, surveillance and ease-of-use of the bicycle. Adherence remained stable overtime. The burden of treatment was low [mean ETBQ score: 21.0 (95% confidence interval: 11.5-30.5)]. At 3 months, 7/12 patients (58.3%) self-reported clinical improvement, with reduced radicular pain and disability [mean absolute differences: -27.5 (-43.3 to -11.7), P<0.01 and -17.5 (-32.1 to -2.9), P=0.01, respectively].

For people with LSS, home-based cycling is a feasible intervention.