ArticlePloS one2025
Disability and pain after lumbar surgery-group-based trajectory analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Preoperative multifidus activation during movement and low back pain worsening after lumbar spinal stenosis surgery: a prospective observational study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Frailty-Muscle Phenotypes Predict Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion in Adults Aged ≥75 Years: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Neurospine · 2026Article
- Application of Pain Management After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Bibliometric Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- Characterising patients undergoing surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis associated neurogenic claudication in the UK: what does the British Spinal Registry tell us?European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsPrevious studies in lumbar spine surgery have mainly studied functioning and pain by comparing average scores from Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) at different time points. Less is known about these changes in different subgroups. It is self-evident that, while most patients may demonstrate trajectories of these changes close to the average one, some groups may follow more or less different trends. Also, it is unclear which preoperative factors may affect the probability of being classified into groups with different development trajectories of surgical outcome. The objective of this study was to identify groups exhibiting distinct trajectories within the broader cohort of patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery and to determine whether certain factors may be associated with a probability of being classified into a particular group.
methodsThis was a register-based study of 1,451 patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. The group-based trajectory analysis was used separately for leg pain, for back pain, and for functioning. The probability of group membership was calculated based on sex, age, leg and back pain duration before surgery, and obesity.
resultsTwo kinds of group-based trajectories were identified for each of three-factor variables: a long-term and a short-term improvement group. Sex and age were not associated with being classified into short-term improvement groups, but obesity was associated for all three-factor variables with relative risk ratios (RRR) varying from 1.26 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.56) to 1.45 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.90). Preoperative leg and back pain duration was significantly associated solely with back pain severity with an RRR of 1.28 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.61).
conclusionsThe results of this study suggest that most of the patients may experience pain relief and improved functioning within three months after lumbar surgery, and this effect may last, at least, for two years. Higher BMI and worse preoperative pain and disability were associated with the inferior outcome of surgery. When considering surgery, planning pre- and postoperative rehabilitation, or forecasting the use of pain medications, a higher probability of worse outcome could be expected for overweight and initially more painful patients with higher level of disability.
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