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The effects of aerobic exercise after lumbar microdiscectomy
G P Brennan1, B B Shultz, R S Hood
1Utah Back and Fitness Clinic, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Study Design:
This study determined whether lumbar discectomy patients could endure an aerobic exercise program sufficient to achieve a training effect, and whether any functional advantages were derived.
Methods:
Trained volunteers (n = 19) were compared with untrained control subjects (n = 18) after a 12-week aerobic and rehabilitation exercise program. Subjects completed a maximal graded exercise test, a hydrostatic weighing test, and a battery of self-report inventories.
Results:
Using a discriminant analysis, as a post hoc test, maximal oxygen consumption was found to be the factor responsible for the difference between the groups (P < 0.006).
Conclusion:
Oxygen consumption was more than three times as important as any other single variable in differentiating between the groups.