Introduction: Lumbar spinal stenosis refers to a diversity of conditions that decrease the total area of the spinal canal, lateral recesses, or neural foramina. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis often experience problems with balance, numbness in the muscles of the lower limbs, tingling and weakness in the muscles of the lower limbs. Treating lumbar spinal stenosis aims to reduce symptoms and improve functional status. Purpose: This thesis aimed to determine the effectiveness of kinesiotherapy procedures in combination with manual therapy on reducing pain and improving walking ability in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, based on a literature review. Methods: We reviewed the literature in the PubMed, Cinahl, Cochrane Library and ScienceDirect databases. We used the following keywords and phrases in English: spinal stenosis AND physiotherapy, spinal stenosis AND exercise therapy, spinal stenosis AND manual therapy. Results: Based on the keywords, 63 studies were found. Five studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in further analysis. Participans in the experimental groups performed interventions that included kinesiotherapy and manual therapy procedures, as well as walking or cycling on an exercise bike. Participans in the control groups performed a home exercise program, a walking program, or group exercise or received medical care that included drug treatment or usual preoperative care. One study showed a statistically significant reduction in back pain between groups, and one study showed a statistically significant reduction in leg pain between groups. One study showed a statistically significant improvement in walking ability within the experimental group. Statistically significant improvement in walking ability between groups occured in three studies. Discussion and conclusion: Kinesiotherapy procedures in combination with manual therapy have a beneficial effect on reducing pain and improving walking ability in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Further research should also include younger participans to generalize the results to the entire population of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
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