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Improvement in leg pain at 3 months postoperatively may indicate improved function at 1 year

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SAN FRANCISCO — Early improvements in leg pain after surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis are often associated with improved physical health at 1 year postoperatively.

At the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Annual Meeting, Richard L. Skolasky, ScD, presented findings from a study analyzing the effects of leg pain after degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and its interference with quality of life, productivity and social participation.

“We see reductions in sciatica and disability by 3 months. Early improvements in symptoms are associated with physical health at 1 year. The implications of this data are that early control and resolution of symptoms is important in getting patients back on their feet,” Skolasky said at the meeting.

Skolasky and colleagues analyzed 930 individuals prospectively enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) who underwent elective surgery for LSS. The researchers recorded leg pain, disability and physical function at 3 months and 1 year following the surgery.

Preoperatively, patients’ average leg pain score was 16.2, and the average physical function score was 29.8. Leg pain, physical function and disability were all reduced at 3 months postoperatively, according to the researchers.

“What this shows, after adjusting for age and symptom duration, [is that] early sciatica improvement correlated with improved disability, and improved disability at 3 months was associated with improved physical heath at 1 year. It was also associated with reduced sciatica at 1 year, but that was not one of our hypotheses,” Skolasky said. – by Robert Linnehan

Reference: Skolasky RL, et al. Paper #2. Presented at: International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Annual Meeting; June 8-12, 2015; San Francisco.

Disclosure: Skolasky reported the study was supported by NAIMS U01-AR45444, P60-AR048094, P60-AR062799, AHRQ R01-HS017990 and R03-HS016106.