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· DOS Abstracts
Return to work after lumbar disc surgery is related
to the length of preoperative sick leave.
Mikkel Ø Andersen, Carsten Ernst, Rasmussen Jesper , Dahl Søren , Leah Carreon
Sector for Spine Surgery and Research, Lillebaelt Hospital, Middelfart, Denmark
Background:
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is associated with high morbidity
and significant socio-economic impact as the majority of the patients are of
working age.
Purpose / Aim of Study:
The purpose of this study was to determine the
impact of length of sick leave on the return-to-work rate after lumbar disc
herniation surgery.
Materials and Methods:
Single-centre study of LDH patients who underwent
surgery from 18 May 2009 through 28 November 2014. Data were collected
prospectively from the DaneSpine database. Questions in DaneSpine include
preoperative length of sick leave and working status one year postoperatively.
Findings / Results:
A total of 678 patients were included and 72% of the
patients had returned to work one year after their surgery. The rate of patients
returning to work decreases significantly with the length of preoperative sick
leave. Among the patients who were on sick leave prior to their surgery, 83%
returned to work if surgically treated within 3 months. In contrast, only 50% of
those whose sick leave exceeded 3 months returned to work.
Conclusions:
The present analysis suggests that the return-to- work rate after
lumbar disc herniation surgery is affected by the length of sick leave.
No conflicts of interest reported
172.