None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
It is currently not known whether the amount of walking patients do following lumbar spinal surgery is associated with post-operative outcome, therefore there is considerable variation in the advice provided to patients regarding walking and physical activity in the period immediately following surgery. This research aims to establish whether the amount of physical activity patients do in the week following lumbar spinal surgery predicts recovery of function at six months. All patients admitted to St Vincent’s Private Hospital Fitzroy (SVPHF) for lumbar spinal surgery aged 18 years and over will be invited to take part in this study. Recruitment will take place over a six-month period, with an estimated 250-300 participants. Participation will involve completing a series of short questionnaires pre-operatively and at six months post-operatively. To measure physical activity in the week following surgery each participant will be required to wear a small device, called an accelerometer, fixed to the thigh with a waterproof dressing. During this first post-operative week participants will also be asked about pain, whether they require assistance while walking, and post-operative complications. Where patients are discharged prior to the seven-day monitoring period finishing they will be provided with daily questionnaires to complete and a reply paid envelope to return the accelerometer to the research team. There will be no changes to standard post-operative care currently provided by any of the staff at SVPHF, including advice regarding walking and physical activity immediately following surgery. The findings from this research will enable all health professionals involved in the post-operative rehabilitation process to provide consistent advice about activity levels following surgery, including information provided in educational resources. It will also build the foundation for further research into interventions designed to optimise post-operative activity.
Interventions
The physical activity of patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery will be monitored for the first post-operative week. To measure physical activity, all participants will be fitted with an activPAL3 accelerometer (PAL technologies). The accelerometer is a small device, to be attached to the thigh with a waterproof, transparent dressing. It can then remain in place for the full seven day monitoring period, with a daily review to check for discomfort or irritation.
At six months following surge
The physical activity of patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery will be monitored for the first post-operative week. To measure physical activity, all participants will be fitted with an activPAL3 accelerometer (PAL technologies). The accelerometer is a small device, to be attached to the thigh with a waterproof, transparent dressing. It can then remain in place for the full seven day monitoring period, with a daily review to check for discomfort or irritation. At six months following surgery participants will be sent follow-up outcome measures, to be returned to the researchers by mail.
Sponsors
La Trobe University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants will be recruited from St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Fitzroy (SVPHF). All patients aged 18 years and older undergoing surgery for the management of a disc prolapse, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spinal stenosis and/or degenerative spondylolysthesis will be invited to participate.
Exclusion criteria
Patients will be excluded if they are undergoing surgery for the management of lumbar fractures or tumours, have a history of dementia or cognitive impairment or an inability to provide informed consent, or have a history of a neurological or musculoskeletal condition resulting in progressive impairment of physical function (for example, multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis). In cases where surgery includes both lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, patients will be eligible if 50% or more of the vertebra involved are in the lumbar region.
Outcome results
None listed