Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Individual factors associated with neck disability in patients with cervical radiculopathy scheduled for surgery: a study on physical impairments, psychosocial factors, and life style habits

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Spine Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The influence of individual factors on patient-reported outcomes is important in the interpretation of disability and treatment effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to assess how physical impairments, psychosocial factors, and life style habits were associated with neck disability based on the Neck Disability Index (NDI), in patients with cervical radiculopathy scheduled for surgery.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 201 patients (105 men, 96 women; mean age 50 years). Data included self-reported measures and a clinical examination. Multiple linear regressions were performed to identify significant influencing factors.

Results

Pain, physical impairments in the cervical active range of motion, low self-efficacy, depression, and sickness-related absences explained 73 % of the variance in NDI scores (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Assessments of physical impairments and psychosocial factors in patients with cervical radiculopathy could improve the description of neck disability and the interpretation of treatment outcomes in longitudinal studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Löfgren H, Johansen F, Skogar O, Levander B (2003) Reduced pain after surgery for cervical disc protrusion/stenosis: a 2 year clinical follow-up. Disabil Rehabil 25:1033–1043

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Peolsson A, Vavruch L, Öberg B (2002) Disability after anterior decompression and fusion for cervical disc disease. Adv Physiother 4:111–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Peolsson A, Kjellman G (2007) Neck muscle endurance in nonspecific patients with neck pain and in patients after anterior cervical decompression and fusion. J Manip Physiol Ther 30:343–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hermansen A, Hedlund R, Vavruch L, Peolsson A (2011) A comparison between the carbon fiber cage and the Cloward procedure in cervical spine surgery: a 10–13 year follow-up of a prospective randomized study. Spine 36:919–925

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Engquist M, Löfgren H, Öberg B, Holtz A, Peolsson A, Soderlund A, Vavruch L, Lind B (2013) Surgery versus non-surgical treatment for cervical radiculopathy: a prospective, randomized study comparing surgery plus physiotherapy with physiotherapy alone with a two year follow-up. Spine 38:1715–1722

    Google Scholar 

  6. McCormick JD, Werner BC, Shimer AL (2013) Patient-reported outcome measures in spine surgery. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 21:99–107

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Bono CM, Ghiselli G, Gilbert TJ, Kreiner DS, Reitman C, Summers JT, Baisden JL, Easa J, Fernand R, Lamer T, Matz PG, Mazanec DJ, Resnick DK, Shaffer WO, Sharma AK, Timmons RB, Toton JF (2011) An evidence-based clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical radiculopathy from degenerative disorders. Spine J 11:64–72

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Peolsson A, Vavruch L, Öberg B (2006) Predictive factors for arm pain, neck pain, neck specific disability and health after anterior cervical decompression and fusion. Acta Neurochir 148:167–173

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Peolsson A, Peolsson M (2008) Predictive factors for long-term outcome of anterior cervical decompression and fusion: a multivariate data analysis. Eur Spine J 17:406–414

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Peolsson A, Hedlund R, Vavruch L, Öberg B (2003) Predictive factors for the outcome of anterior cervical decompression and fusion. Eur Spine J 12:274–280

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Vernon H (2008) The neck disability index: state-of-the-art, 1991–2008. J Manip Physiol Ther 31:491–502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Huskisson EC (1974) Measurement of pain. Lancet 2:1127–1131

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Wainner RS, Fritz JM, Irrgang JJ, Boninger ML, Delitto A, Allison S (2003) Reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the clinical examination and patient self-report measures for cervical radiculopathy. Spine 28:52–62

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Peolsson A, Almkvist C, Dahlberg C, Lindqvist S, Pettersson S (2007) Age- and sex-specific reference values of a test of neck muscle endurance. J Manip Physiol Ther 30:171–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jensen IB, Linton SJ (1993) Coping strategies questionnaire (CSQ): reliability of the Swedish version of the CSQ. Scand J Behav Ther 22:139–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hirsh AT, George SZ, Riley JL 3rd, Robinson ME (2007) An evaluation of the measurement of pain catastrophizing by the coping strategies questionnaire. Eur J Pain 11:75–81

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Altmaier EMRD, Kao CF, Lehmann TR, Weinstein JN (1993) Role of self-efficacy in rehabilitation outcome among chronic low back pain patients. J Couns Psychol 40(3):335–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Iles RA, Davidson M, Taylor NF, O’Halloran P (2009) Systematic review of the ability of recovery expectations to predict outcomes in non-chronic non-specific low back pain. J Occup Rehabil 19:25–40

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Cherkin DC, Deyo RA, Street JH, Barlow W (1996) Predicting poor outcomes for back pain seen in primary care using patients’ own criteria. Spine 21:2900–2907

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Zung WW (1965) A self-rating depression scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 12:63–70

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Main CJ (1983) The modified somatic perception questionnaire (MSPQ). J Psychosom Res 27:503–514

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Field A (ed) (2009) Discovering statistics using SPSS for windows, 3rd edn. SAGE Publications, London

    Google Scholar 

  23. Saavedra-Hernandez M, Castro-Sanchez AM, Cuesta-Vargas AI, Cleland JA, Fernandez-de-las-Penas C, Arroyo-Morales M (2012) The contribution of previous episodes of pain, pain intensity, physical impairment, and pain-related fear to disability in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 91:1070–1076

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Thompson DP, Urmston M, Oldham JA, Woby SR (2010) The association between cognitive factors, pain and disability in patients with idiopathic chronic neck pain. Disabil Rehabil 32:1758–1767

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Young SB, Aprill C, Braswell J, Ogard WK, Richards JS, McCarthy JP (2009) Psychological factors and domains of neck pain disability. Pain Med 10:310–318

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge financial support from The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Society of Medicine, and the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden, and thank Henrik Magnusson and Karl Wahlin at the University of Linköping in Sweden for their help with the statistics.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58183, Linköping, Sweden

    Johanna Wibault, Birgitta Öberg & Anneli Peolsson

  2. Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Åsa Dedering

  3. Neuro-Orthopedic Center, Ryhov Hospital, Jönköping, Sweden

    Håkan Löfgren

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden

    Peter Zsigmond

  5. Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Health Sciences, Lunds University, Lund, Sweden

    Liselott Persson

  6. NHMRC CCRE (Spinal Pain, Injury and Health), University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Anneli Peolsson

Authors
  1. Johanna Wibault
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Birgitta Öberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Åsa Dedering
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Håkan Löfgren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Peter Zsigmond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Liselott Persson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Anneli Peolsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johanna Wibault.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wibault, J., Öberg, B., Dedering, Å. et al. Individual factors associated with neck disability in patients with cervical radiculopathy scheduled for surgery: a study on physical impairments, psychosocial factors, and life style habits. Eur Spine J 23, 599–605 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3066-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3066-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation