title: A nation-wide, outpatient-based survey on the pain, disability, and satisfaction of patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.
abstract: METHODS
  A nation-wide, outpatient-based, cross-sectional survey with the use of questionnaires.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the pain, disability and satisfaction of patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  There are no nation-wide data in Korea on the degree of pain, disability and satisfaction with treatment in patients with OVCFs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional survey of 573 patients with OVCFs. After excluding incomplete questionnaires (missing more than 30% of the variables), 430 patient-physician-matched data sets were collected for this survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with OVCFs were managed with conservative treatment in 63% and with a vertebroplasty in 37%. The means of the latest visual analogue scale (VAS, 5.2) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI, 47.7) scores checked at the time of survey were significantly higher than those VAS and ODI scores prior to OVCFs (the prefracture VAS and ODI scores, 3.6 and 26.3, respectively; p<0.001 for both comparisons). However, the means of the latest VAS and ODI scores were insignificantly different between the conservative and vertebroplasty groups, irrespective of the duration from the fractures. Overall, 75% of patients were satisfied with their clinical outcomes. However, the percentages of patient's satisfaction were not significantly different between the conservative and vertebroplasty groups. Eighty-eight percent of patients felt some or marked deterioration of their general health condition following OVCFs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that although most patients with OVCFs were satisfied with their clinical outcomes, their subjective general health conditions, as well as their pain and disability, did not recover to the prefracture state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Jung
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Myun-Hwan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Hyung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Im
keywords: Disability; Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture; Pain; Satisfaction