Quality of Life and Disability Following Lumbar Spine Fusion: A Prospective Three-Time-Point Observational Study

To investigate changes in disability and health-related quality of life following lumbar fusion surgery and to examine the influence of baseline demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors on postoperative outcomes.

This prospective cohort study assessed disability (ODI) and quality of life (SF-36) after lumbar fusion at hospitals affiliated with Kashan University of Medical Sciences using linear mixed-effects models. Analyses were performed in R (v4.5.1).

A total of 100 patients who underwent lumbar spine fusion surgery were enrolled. Among the variables included, higher baseline pain intensity (β =2.94, P < 0.001), greater age (β = 0.55, P = 0.003), higher BMI (β = 0.93, P = 0.03), smoking status (β = -14.99, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher disability scores. Compared with baseline, the ODI score was significantly lower at both 3 and 6 months following surgery. Furthermore, the reduction in disability observed between 3 and 6 months postoperatively remained statistically significant (P < 0.05 for all comparisons).

Beyond the effect of postoperative recovery time, social and lifestyle factors exert a substantial influence on surgical outcomes following lumbar fusion surgery. These determinants should be carefully considered in the planning and implementation of postoperative care strategies.