RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Long-term follow-ups of prehabilitation programs for lumbar spine surgery are lacking, and more comprehensive evaluations are needed. In the current study, we evaluated the long-term effects of a prehabilitation program compared with conventional care in relation to lumbar fusion surgery in patients with degenerative disc disease. METHODS: Patients (n = 118) receiving lumbar fusion surgery were included in a multicenter randomized controlled trial, involving 1 university hospital and 2 spine clinics. The intervention was a person-centered prehabilitation program based on cognitive-behavioral physical therapy that targeted psychological presurgical risk factors, physical activity, and overall health. The control group received conventional preoperative care. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) included assessments at 8 time-points: Low back disability (primary outcome), back pain intensity, leg pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, anxiety and depressive mood, health-related quality of life, and patient-specific functioning. Physical activity and physical capacity were assessed at 5 time points. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the effects of the intervention. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups at the 12- and 24-month follow-ups for any outcome, except for the One Leg Stand test 1 year following surgery, in favor of the control group. There were significant improvements for both groups, from baseline to the 12- and 24-month follow-ups for all physical capacity test and PROMs, except for leg pain and self-efficacy for exercise. CONCLUSIONS: No long-term effects were found for the prehabilitation program compared to conventional care. Physical activity did not improve over time, despite significantly improved self-reported functioning and physical capacity measurements. IMPACT: These findings have implications for the current understanding of the long-term effects of prehabilitation and suggest that future research should focus on programs promoting physical activity both before and after lumbar spine surgery to decrease the risk of long-term adverse health outcomes.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread pain and co-morbid symptoms such as fatigue and depression. For FM, medical treatments alone appear insufficient. Recent meta-analyses point to the utility of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), but effects are moderate. Within the continuous development of CBT, the empirical support for acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has increased rapidly. ACT focuses on improving functioning by increasing the patient's ability to act in accordance with personal values also in the presence of pain and distress (i.e., psychological flexibility). However, no study has yet explored the utility of ACT in FM. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of ACT for FM and the role of psychological inflexibility as a mediator of improvement. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, ACT was evaluated in comparison to a waiting list control condition. Forty women diagnosed with FM participated in the study. Assessments were made pre- and post-treatment and at 3 months of follow-up. The ACT intervention consisted of 12 weekly group sessions. RESULTS: Significant differences in favour of ACT were seen in pain-related functioning, FM impact, mental health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, depression, anxiety and psychological inflexibility. Changes in psychological inflexibility during the course of treatment were found to mediate pre- to follow-up improvements in outcome variables. CONCLUSIONS: The results correspond with previous studies on ACT for chronic pain and suggest the utility of ACT for FM as well as the role of psychological inflexibility as a mediator of improvement.