Clinical evaluation of the post-laminectomy syndrome in public hospitals in the city of São Luís, Brazil

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although not well known, post-laminectomy syndrome (PLS) is an important cause of chronic back pain, which may lead to decreased quality of life, disability and psychological disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prevalence of PLS, to estimate its impact on the quality of life and to determine its association with anxiety, depression and disability in patients at public hospitals in São Luís, MA. METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. Eighteen patients characterized as having PLS were selected, and their clinical, epidemiological and psychological characteristics, their quality of life and their levels of physical fitness were evaluated through clinical evaluations, Beck questionnaires, the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Rolland-Morris questionnaire and the Douleur Neurophatique 4 questions. The multidimensional pain evaluation was performed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of post-laminectomy pain was 60 %. Most of the patients assessed in this study were male and received a family income of up to minimum wage; their mean age was 45 years. All of the patients presented with chronic, intense pain that had lasted an average of 7.22 years. The prevalence of neuropathic pain was 89.9 %. The physical appearance and functional capacity domains of the SF-36 were classified as unsatisfactory in 94.4 and 83.3 % of the patients, respectively. None of the patients exhibited high levels of physical fitness. The average score was 21.33 for anxiety and 18.88 for depression. There was a strongly positive and significant relationship between the anxiety and depression scores. Additionally, there was a moderately positive and significant relationship between the disability and anxiety scores. Regarding the correlation between the pain intensity and the quality of life, there was a moderately significant relationship between the patients’ mental health and their vitality. CONCLUSION: PLS exhibits a high prevalence and significance, and it causes high levels of morbidity in patients. Furthermore, PLS features intense levels of pain, reduced quality of life and greater physical and occupational disability. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1400-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.