title: [Effects of lower extremity joints' disease on lumbar surgical outcomes].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of lumber operation on patients with pathologic changes of the lumbar vertebrae combined with degenerative diseases of lower extremity joints.
  
  
  METHODS
  237 patients with pathologic changes of the lumbar vertebrae combined with pain and/or limited activity of hip or knee joint, 153 (64.56%) with degenerative knee joints and 84 (35.44%) with degenerative hip joints received lumbar surgery. 160 patients with lower extremity joint pain and negative physical examination and imagology before the surgery were used as controls. The joint pain value was assessed on all patients with Visual Analog Scale before and after treatment and the joint pain relief rate was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average pain relief rate of the control group was 90.54%, significantly higher than those of the degenerative knee joint group (55.20%) and the degenerative hip joint group (46.88%, both P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diseases of lower extremity joints influence the lumbar surgical outcomes. It is very important to make a definite diagnosis of the lower extremity joint pain pre-operationally and take appropriate measures to treat the pain according to its pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spinal Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
authors.forename: Hai-ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ke-nan
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018771:Arthralgia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome