The measurements of health-related quality-of-life and pain assessment in the preoperative patients with low back pain.
OBJECTIVE
This prospective observational study of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Oswestry Disability Index, Lithuanian version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain was performed to evaluate their effectiveness in the additional preoperative screening of patients with disc herniation disease.


METHODS
In the present study, we investigated a cohort of 100 patients with lumbar disc herniation causing low back pain and the second one of 100 patients with nonspecific low back pain by applying physical activity, pain scales and Short-Form 36 General Health Questionnaire.


RESULTS
The quantitative analysis of SF-36 domain scores showed the substantial differences in both examined (herniated and control) groups. In the present study, we estimated moderate but statistically significant (P<0.05) correlations between the bodily pain domain scores and assessment of back and leg pain on the VAS, as well as between the physical function and walking/standing ability (Oswestry). According to appropriate pain assessment instruments (Lithuanian version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire), qualitative and quantitative analysis of the preoperative patients was performed.


CONCLUSIONS
The provided methodology could be used in population-based studies or in clinical samples that focus on specific impairments and seek to control the pain frequency and intensity, for example, follow-up assessments testing the effectiveness of surgical procedures performed, and to elicit the pathways leading to other impairments.
Veresciagina
Kotryna
K
Department of Neurosurgery, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eiveniu 2, 50009 Kaunas, Lithuania. cotryna@gmail.com
Ambrozaitis
Kazys Vytautas
KV
Spakauskas
Bronius
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires