Functional and Neurological Outcomes After Spine Surgery and Neurorehabilitation for Chronic Discogenic Low Back Pain: A Prospective Observational Pre–Post Study

TL;DR

This study found that spine surgery and neurorehabilitation significantly improved pain and mobility in patients with chronic discogenic low back pain.

Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of spine surgery and neurorehabilitation for chronic discogenic low back pain.

Findings

Significant improvement in sensory disturbance, pain, and sexual dysfunction after surgery.

Increased mobility and reduced pain in the lumbar spine and lower limbs were observed.

Knee and ankle reflexes improved significantly, but superficial sensation remained unchanged.

Abstract

Background: Discogenic low back pain (LBP) is a significant therapeutic and social problem. Discopathy is associated with neurological symptoms that severely disrupt the patient’s functional status. Regardless of the choice of neurosurgical procedure for discopathy, its effectiveness highly varies. Aims: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of neurosurgical treatment and neurorehabilitation procedures based on a comprehensive analysis of a number of neurological symptoms and the functional status of patients with chronic discogenic LBP. Material and Methods: This study involved 110 patients (56 women and 54 men) who underwent first-ever lumbar spine surgery. Before the surgery and 3 months after the hospital discharge, all patients were subjected to neurological examination and comprehensive assessment of neurological symptoms. Results: After the procedure, improvement was shown in sensory disturbance (p < 0.0001), pain (p < 0.0001), and sexual dysfunction (p < 0.0001). The results of lower limb paresis, monoplegia, and sphincter complications remained non-significant. A reduction in scoliosis (p = 0.0040) and lumbar pain (p < 0.0001) was observed. There was a reduction in pain in the lower leg (p = 0.0136) and foot (p = 0.0122) during movements. Improvement in passive and active mobility as well as pain reduction in the lumbar spine area were demonstrated (p < 0.0001). There was significant improvement in the knee and ankle reflexes (p < 0.0001). There were no significant changes in the superficial sensation. In the functional assessment, an improvement in the toe-to-floor test of 13.3 cm was confirmed (p < 0.0001), while there was no difference in the Lasègue’s test. Conclusions: The general and neurological condition of patients with LBP significantly improved after the spine surgery. The improvement included mainly a reduction in pain and sensory disturbances, return of deep reflexes, and increased mobility of the lower limbs and spine.