Investigation of Functional Disability, Psychological Status, and Quality of Life of Patients Undergoing Lumbar Disc Surgery

Low Back pain is one of the most common diseases that face adults with various physical, psychological, economic, and social problems. Due to the fact that patients experience various degrees of disability during this period, the present study was conducted to determine the quality of life and functional outcome in patients with lumbar disc herniation. This study was a descriptive-interventional study that was performed in 2022. One hundred twenty patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery were included in the study by census method. Patients were investigated before and, 3, 6, and 12 months after the operation using a 12-question short-form questionnaire to measure the quality of life, the Oswestry Functional Disability Questionnaire to measure the severity of the disability, the European Quality of Life Questionnaire to measure the health-related quality of life, and the DASS Questionnaire to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and the significance level was less than 0.05. The quality of life in the physical dimension improved after 12 months (P<0.05). Oswestry disability index improved from severe to moderate disability and preoperative disability improved compared to 12 months after surgery (P<0.05). The EQ-5D index improved after 12 months and significantly differed from before surgery (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between stress before and 12 months after surgery (P<0.05). The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between Oswestry functional disability index and body mass index (P=0.002) and age (P=0.01), and depression with gender (P=0.003). The results showed that the quality of life, functional ability, and stress in patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery improved after 12 months.