HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY FOR A HERNIATED LUMBAR DISC DURING THE ERA OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

A herniated lumbar disc occurs when the nucleus pulposus or annulus brosis of the disc protrudes beyond the intervertebral disc space. The patient frequently complains of lower back pain, and radiological evaluation conrms the diagnosis. The most frequent spinal operation is lumbar disc herniation surgery. The study aims to compare patients' health-related quality of life before and after surgery for a herniated lumbar disc during the timeframe of the COVID 19 epidemic. Patients who had elective lumbar discectomy at SRN hospital in Prayagraj between September 2020 and September 2021 were selected for this cross-sectional research. Euroqol (EQ-5D) and VAS scores were used to measure health-related quality of life. Scores were taken before surgery and again after 6 months of follow-up. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to undertake a multivariate analysis of the pre-operative ratings. Similarly, 6 months following surgery, an analysis was performed, and a comparison was made. The major risk factor in patients who did not improve or who had a lower quality of life was smoking. The ndings of our study can be used as part of a patient's pre-operative agreement to raise awareness and cooperation, as well as to aid rehabilitation during Pandemic times.