Study authors examined 227 workers compensation patients in Ohio who underwent spine surgery for degenerative lumbar stenosis from 1993 to 2013. The patients either received an operative decompression prior to or after one year of symptoms; the cohort that returned to work did so within two years and remained for at least six months.
Study authors found:
1. Half of the patients who underwent decompression prior to experiencing symptoms for one year returned to work, compared to 30 percent of patients who had surgery after more than one year of symptoms.
2. A logical regression model showed time to surgery was a significant negative predictor of return to work status.
3. The patients who underwent surgery early cost the system an average of $37,332 less than patients who underwent surgery after more than a year of symptoms.
4. Three-year medical costs for early surgery patients was $13,299 less than late surgery patients.
5. Study authors concluded, “The results presented can perhaps be used to guide surgical decision-making and provide predictive value for the WC population.”
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