title: Outcomes for patients with chronic low back pain treated using instrumented fusion.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Education, Stord/Haugesund University College, Haugesund, Norway. signe.bentsen@hsh.no
authors.forename: Signe Berit
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bentsen
authors.forename: Astrid K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: Berit R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Hanestad
authors.forename: Liv Inger
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Strand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome