Examining Disability, Pain, and Anxiety in Patients Following Lumbar Decompression Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36283/ziun-pjmd14-3/016Keywords:
Lumbar decompression surgery, disability, pain-related anxiety, physical performance, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)Abstract
Background: Lumbar decompression surgery is commonly performed to alleviate symptoms of lumbar spine diseases; nevertheless, the correlation between post-operative impairment and factors such as pain severity, pain-related anxiety, and physical performance remains little studied. This study aimed to investigate these relationships in patients following lumbar decompression surgery.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Mardan Medical Complex (MMC) involving 140 participants. Demographic, clinical, and psychological data were collected using validated instruments: the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain intensity, the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS) for pain-related anxiety, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test for physical performance, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for disability evaluation. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed to examine the relationships among variables. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: Participants had a mean age of 57.5 years; 53.6% were male. Common comorbidities included hypertension (35.7%) and diabetes (28.6%), with most being overweight or obese. Average TUG time was 12.3 seconds, pain-related anxiety was 45.6, and pain intensity was 6.2. Disabilities ranged from moderate (39.3%) to very severe (10.7%). Disability was significantly correlated with pain severity (r = 0.65), anxiety (r = 0.58), and poor physical performance (r = 0.72), all with p < 0.001.
Conclusion: Lumbar decompression surgery patients' levels of disability are inversely proportional to their levels of pain, worry about pain, and physical performance. These results emphasis the need to include psychological and physiological factors into post-operative rehabilitation programs for better patient outcomes.
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