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Surgery likely improves sex life-related pain in patients with degenerative spinal conditions
Results from this study indicated operative treatment relieved sex life-related pain for patients with either spinal stenosis or degenerative spondylolisthesis.
Researchers included 1,235 patients from the Spine Outcomes Research Trial who either had spinal stenosis or degenerative spondylolisthesis and collected demographics, treatment and follow-up data. Investigators classified patients according to their response to question 9 on the Oswestry Disability Index, which asked whether pain affected patients’ sex life. Patients who did not respond to this question or selected “unable to answer or does not apply to me” were categorized in to a sex life not relevant group. Overall, 366 patients were in the sex life not relevant group and 869 patients were in the sex life relevant group. The impact of surgery on sexual function was determined and compared between operative treatment and nonoperative treatment groups.
Results showed patients classified as sexual life not relevant were most likely to be older, female, unmarried, had three or more stenotic levels and had central stenosis. A lower percentage of patients in the operative treatment group reported pain related to their sex life vs. those in the nonoperative treatment group at all follow-up visits. – by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: Horst reports he is an employee for Arthrex Inc. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.