title: Calcitonin treatment in lumbar spinal stenosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study with one-year follow-up.
abstract: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study in 40 lumbar spinal stenosis patients with a 1-year follow-up showed that calcitonin had beneficial effects on the patients' symptoms without producing any notable side effects. Calcitonin had a clear analgesic effect. The mean of walking distance increased, but the crossover trend was not as good as the analgesic effect. Side effects such as erythema and nausea were usually mild and transient. Calcitonin therapy can be used as a conservative treatment in selected cases of lumbar spinal stenosis. When rest pain was mild or the walking distance was under 200-300 m because of neurogenic claudication, the effect of calcitonin seemed to be poor.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Hospital of the Invalid Foundation, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eskola
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pohjolainen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alaranta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soini
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tallroth
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slätis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin