Treatment method selection for sleep quality due to lumbar DISC herniation: Early surgery or others?; A single center clinical trial

Abstract

Background/aimSleep deprivation may lead to individual and social insufficiency associated with many physiological and psychological pathologies. This study is reported to investigate sleep quality and the relationship between treatment modalities of lumbar disc herniation, which is the most common cause of chronic lower back pain and sciatica. Materials and methodsThis present study was conducted on 249 cases with chronic lower back pain and sciatica caused by a single- level lumbar disc herniation diagnosed after lumbar MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) between June 2017 and September 2019. Cases were divided into three groups according to the treatment modalities: early surgical treatment (n:80), extended conservative treatment (n:142), and medical treatment only (n:27). VAS (Visual Analog Scale) and PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) data before the treatment and 6 months after the treatment were statistically analyzed. ResultsIt was determined that post-treatment VAS and PSQI scores were significantly reduced in all cases, regardless of the differences in treatment modalities (p < 0.05). In the early surgical treatment group, VAS score was improved by 69% and PSQI score was improved by 63.8%. These values were 28.5% and 38.6% in the extended conservative treatment. However, VAS score was increased by 27% in the patients who received only medical treatment. Statistical analysis of the treatment modalities showed that early surgical treatment was superior to the other treatment modalities (p < 0.05). ConclusionsIt was determined that early surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation was superior to other treatment methods in terms of maintaining the sleep quality impairments associated with deterioration in sleep quality.