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Outcomes for patients with chronic low back pain treated using instrumented fusion
Author(s) -
Bentsen Signe Berit,
Wahl Astrid K,
Hanestad Berit R,
Strand Liv Inger
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00448.x
Subject(s) - medicine , norwegian , physical therapy , chronic pain , visual analogue scale , comorbidity , philosophy , linguistics
The aim of this study was to describe the pain experience at 1–8 years follow‐up of patients who were treated with instrumented fusion because of chronic low back pain, and to evaluate the impact of demographic‐ and disease‐specific variables on pain. The sample comprised 101 of 126 Norwegian patients (response rate 80%), aged 25–60 years (mean 46 years) who were treated in a Swedish hospital between 1993 and 2000. The visual analogue scale and Norwegian Pain Questionnaire were used to evaluate pain. Independent t ‐tests, anova , correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Sixteen per cent of patients reported no pain, 17% mild pain, 29% moderate pain and 38% strong to excruciating pain following treatment using instrumented fusion. Demographic‐ and disease‐specific variables explained 29% of the variance in back and hip pain intensities, and 19%, 30%, 6% and 23% of the sensory, affective, evaluative and total pain experience, respectively. Patients who needed to use pain‐killing reported more pain than those who did not (p < 0.001). Patients suffering from other chronic conditions also reported more affective pain (p < 0.001). In conclusion, at 1–8 years follow up after instrumented fusion most of the patients suffered from moderate pain or less. Further, amount of pain‐killing and comorbidity conditions seemed to be highly related to pain in patients treated with instrumented fusion.