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

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.