Influence of psychosocial factors on the long-term outcome of patients after lumbar discectomy (1-5 years follow-up)

This study is set up to analyze the influence of psychosocial factors on the long-term outcome after a lumbar discectomy. A group of 54 patients, who had first standard lumbar discectomy and performed postoperative rehabilitation., were assessed by JOA score-scale after 1 to 5 (mean 3.5) years. For statistical data Student t-test and Newmann-Keuls comparison were used. Patients with psychological disorders (20.4%) had significantly worse long-term outcome than patients without them (p=0.026). The patients with financial problems (25.9%) had significantly worse long-term outcome then other patients (p=0.033). Conclusion: Psychosocial factors had a negative impact on the long-term outcome after lumbar discectomy. A comprehensive treatment approach should be used for these patients. Key words: lumbar discectomy, outcome, psychology, and socioeconomic factors.