Workers' Compensation Is Associated With Worst Clinical Results After Lumbar Fusion

Marchi, Luís; Nogueira‐Neto, Joes; Amaral, Vivian Ferreira do; Amaral, Rodrigo; Faulhaber, Nicholai; Coutinho, Etevaldo; Oliveira, Leonardo; Jensen, Rubens; Pimenta, Luiz

doi:10.1590/s1808-185120171604174270

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

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“…Several studies have shown that musculoskeletal disorders are the main cause of long-term sickness absence; the most frequently encountered problem is low-back pain caused by cumulative trauma, and the source of this symptom could include inadequate postures during work activities, high physical demand of manual labor, and lack of rest pauses. 25 An association between manual labor professions and non-return to work after spine surgery is frequently reported, and available studies show even lower return-to-work rates (only 20% among manual labor workers) than those encountered in our work. 26 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Minimally invasive spine surgery: evaluation of clinical and functional outcomes and their correlation with the return to work

Silva¹,

Alcântara²

2020

Rev Bras Med Trab

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Background Intervertebral disc changes are a multi-factorial problem whose main clinical feature is pain. Studies show that when clinical treatments fail, the proposed surgical treatments frequently present unsatisfactory results. Traditional lumbar arthrodesis causes important clinical and functional changes that can result in complications and jeopardize the patients’ quality of life. Objectives This study aims to investigate the clinical and functional results of minimally invasive spine surgery in patients with a clinical diagnosis of low-back or sciatic pain and segmental instability, finally correlating these results with the patients’ return to work. Methods Patients signed an informed consent form and were clinical and radiographically re-evaluated by independent professionals in the pre- and postoperative periods. Evaluation methods used the Oswestry disability index, as well as visual analog scale and Medical Outcomes Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores. We also retrieved epidemiological data, information on work resumption, and bone consolidation evaluations from the medical records. Results We evaluated 19 patients who had been operated on 33 levels; visual analog scale and Oswestry disability index scores were initially reduced from 10% to 2% and from 64% to 28%, respectively. SF-36 scores were significantly higher in 5 of the 7 questionnaire scales at the end of the follow-up period. Most patients (68.4%) did not return to work after surgery; the others returned 2 to 67 months after the procedure. All patients received social security benefits after the surgery. Conclusion Although the procedure presented positive results, it did not result in a satisfactory return-to-work rate. Our results should be analyzed in view of the low educational level and income of the patients, the manual nature of their labor, and the validity of social security benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%