Researchers studied 141 patients who underwent surgery for lumbar and cervical degenerative conditions. The fear of movement beliefs improved after surgery, but 49 percent of patients continued to have a high fear after six weeks and 39 percent after three months.
The patients who reported higher levels of fear of movement also reported poorer postoperative outcomes. A multilevel linear regression analysis also found that postoperative fear of movement was associated with postoperative pain, disability and physical health, after other factors were controlled for.
The report shows that preoperative fear was not a predictor for poorer surgical outcomes. The authors of the study recommend clinicians address postoperative fear of movement along with other traditional clinical and medical risk factors, and include postoperative screening for high fear of movement beliefs. Surgeons can incorporate cognitive behavioral techniques into the rehabilitation process for at-risk patients to minimize the potential problem.
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