Quality of Life and Functional Status of Patients with Lumbar Radiculopathy

Quality of life (QL) of patients with lumbar radiculopathy (LR) stands for personal experience of the functional effect of the ailment and therapy applied to the patient. We aimed to evaluate the QL in patients with LR before the start of treatment, as well as three and six months following the start of medical rehabilitation, that was prescribed and implemented.

The research was conducted at the Special Hospital for Progressive Muscular and Neuromuscular Diseases in Novi Pazar, Serbia, from 2014 to 2016. A stratified, randomized sample included fifty patients with LR. All patients had an educational training program in ergonomics, physical therapy procedures, and kinetic and ergonomic therapeutic procedures as part of the conservative treatment. We employed two standardized questionnaires, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the SF-36, to evaluate the patients' condition, their QL, and the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment.

In terms of SF-36 - PCS, SF-36 - MCS, and ODI, the lowest values were noted at the start of rehabilitation (PCS:35.5; MCS:37.8; ODI:51.5%). Three months later, there was a significant improvement in the scores (PCS:42.8; MCS:45.2; ODI:38.9%), and six months later, the scores were somewhat higher (PCS:49.2; MCS:40.6; ODI:23.7%) (P<0.01).

When comparing the conditions, the QL and functional status of patients with LR are significantly improved. They were better at three and six months compared to the start of rehabilitation and at six months compared to the condition at three months.