Early effects of microdiscectomy surgery on pain, quality of life and functional disability in patients with Lumbar disc herniation

The purpose of this study was to examine the early effects of microdiscectomy surgery on pain, functional disability and quality of life in patients with lumbar disc herniation. Fifty-three patients with lumbar disc herniation participated in this study. Twenty-eight patients operated for lumbar disc hernia were included in the surgery group. Twenty-five patients with lumbar disc herniation were included in the control group who were given information about joint protection principles. The outcome measures were Oswerty Disability Index for assessing functional disability, McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire for assessing low back pain, Stabilizer Pressure Biofeedback Unit for assessing spinal stabilization and Short-Form 36 (SF-36) for assessing quality of life, Evaluations were made at the beginning of the intervention and at the end of four weeks. According to the results, when the groups were compared, the severity of pain was significantly reduced in the surgical groups. It was observed that functionality and quality of life increased statistically in the surgery group (p<0,05). No significant difference was found in pain, functional disability and quality of life scores in the control group. It was also found that there was more decrease in spinal stabilization activity in the surgical group compared to the control group (p<0,01). Our results indicate that microdiscectomy surgery in patients with lumbar disc hernia reduces pain in the short term and increases functionality and quality of life. The additional similar studies with longer follow-up periods will provide more information about the results of this surgery. Keywords: Discectomy, herniated disc, low back pain, quality of life ll