title: Back pain, sciatica and disability following first-time conventional haemilaminectomy for lumbar disc herniation. Use of "Low Back Pain Rating Scale" as a postal questionnaire.
abstract: To determine the value of "Low Back Pain Rating Scale" as a postal questionnaire, a retrospective study was undertaken of patients who had undergone first-time lumbar disc surgery 14-72 months previously. Rate of response was 86% (261/304). From the results, it was concluded that 87% of the patients felt that a satisfactory surgical outcome was obtained; 67% had minor or major functional restrictions of their daily activities; 65% experienced significant low-back symptoms in the period prior to follow-up examination; and 57% experienced sciatica. Thirty-seven patients were receiving pensions in the postoperative period due to continued back pain. "Low Back Pain Rating Scale" used as a postal questionnaire was found to be useful in determining general overall assessment status in patients who had undergone lumbar surgery. This evaluation method could be used as a quality control in future studies regarding this patient group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Hillerød Hospital.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manniche
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Asmussen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vinterberg
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rose-Hansen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kramhøft
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jordan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012585:Sciatica / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires