How fast pain, numbness, and paresthesia resolves after lumbar nerve root decompression: a retrospective study of patient's self-reported computerized pain drawing.
METHODS
A single-center retrospective study.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the speed of recovery of different sensory symptoms, pain, numbness, and paresthesia, after lumbar nerve root decompression.


BACKGROUND
Lumbar radiculopathy is characterized by different sensory symptoms like pain, numbness, and paresthesia, which may resolve at different rates after surgical decompression.


METHODS
Eighty-five cases with predominant lumbar radiculopathy treated surgically were reviewed. Oswestry Disability Index score, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey scores (Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary), and pain drawing at preoperative and at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1-year follow-up were reviewed. Recovery rate between different sensory symptoms were compared in all patients, and between the short-term compression (<6 mo) and long-term compression groups.


RESULTS
At baseline, 73 (85.8%) patients had pain, 63 (74.1%) had numbness, and 38 (44.7%) had paresthesia; 28 (32.9%) had all these 3 component of sensory symptoms. Mean pain score improved fastest (55.3% at 6 wk); further resolution until 1 year was slow and not significant compared with each previous visit. Both numbness and paresthesia scores showed a trend of faster recovery during the initial 6-week period (20.5% and 24%, respectively); paresthesia recovery reached a plateau at 3 months postoperatively, but numbness continued a slow recovery until 1-year follow-up. Both Oswestry Disability Index score and Physical Component Summary scores (54.02 ± 1.87 and 26.29 ± 0.93, respectively, at baseline) improved significantly compared with each previous visits at 6 weeks and 3 months postoperatively, but further improvement was insignificant. Mental Component Summary showed a similar trend but smaller improvement. The short-term compression group had faster recovery of pain than the long-term compression group.


CONCLUSIONS
In lumbar radiculopathy patients after surgical decompression, pain recovers fastest, in the first 6 weeks postoperatively, followed by paresthesia recovery that plateaus at 3 months postoperatively. Numbness recovers at a slower pace but continues until 1 year.


METHODS
4.
*Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China; and †Department of Orthopaedics, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.
Peng
P
Huang
Dilip K
DK
Sengupta
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003196:Computer Graphics; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009513:New Hampshire; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult