Conservative treatment of lumbar disc disease: patient’s quality of life compared to an unexposed cohort

Background. Lumbar disc disease is a very common condition with a substantial socioeconomic impact. Studies have shown the importance of a multilevel assessment of this disease, as its course is influenced by many factors. Most follow-up studies use the degree of physical impairment to measure the outcome of a certain treatment. This remains unsatisfactory, as physical impairment itself seems to be influenced by the social, psychological and personal condition of a patient. We believe that an overall quality of life assessment is required to evaluate success of treatment. The SF-36 questionnaire seemed appropriate, as it provides consistent data of a patient’s overall health status. To ensure measurement of disability due to back pain we combined the SF-36 with the NASS (North American Spine Society) questionnaire, an instrument specific for lumbar spine disorders.