Physical Performance Continues to Improve After Surgery for Sciatica, Exceeding Recovery Periods of Physical Capacity
Michal Ziga1,2,3,4,5, Linda Bättig3, Raphael Gmeiner6
1Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Objective:
To longitudinally analyze smartphone-based real-life activity data and compare it with established clinical outcome measures in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery for sciatica, focusing on identifying divergence in recovery trajectories.
Methods:
Fifty patients were assessed preoperatively and at 6 weeks (6W), 3 months (3M), and 6 months (6M). Outcomes included smartphone-derived daily Step Count, objective capacity (6-minute walking test [6WT]), and subjective disability (visual analogue scale [VAS] leg/back, Core Outcome Measures Index [COMI] back, and Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]). All metrics were standardized into z-scores relative to baseline. Piecewise linear mixed-effects (LME) models compared recovery slopes across 2 segments: phase I (early: 0-6 weeks) and phase II (late: 6 weeks-6 months).
Results:
The cohort (mean age, 50.7 years; 24 females) included 33 patients with lumbar disc herniation and 17 with lateral recess stenosis. All measures improved significantly during phase I (all p<0.05). However, LME modeling revealed a significant interaction between time segment and measurement type in phase II. Daily Step Count was the only metric maintaining a significant, linear upward recovery slope during the late phase (β=0.31 Z/mo). Conversely, slopes for 6WT, ODI, and COMI were significantly flatter (p<0.001 vs. Step Count), indicating a statistical plateau or "ceiling effect." Spearman correlations between Step Count and traditional metrics weakened from strong at baseline to weak at 6 months.
Conclusion:
Smartphone-derived real-life activity data detect continuous functional improvement up 6 months postoperatively, whereas conventional objective and subjective measures plateau by 6 weeks. Real-world activity monitoring provides a more sensitive assessment of long-term surgical success.
