For a study, the researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine how referring patients to municipal physical rehabilitation compared with not referring them had an effect on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after lumbar disc herniation surgery. Lumbar discectomy was one of the most common procedures in surgical spine practice. Patients were frequently referred to physical therapy after surgery, and in Denmark, all patients were constitutionally entitled to a customized rehabilitation plan as well as a referral to free rehabilitation at municipal facilities. However, it was debatable if postoperative rehabilitation was useful in this group of individuals. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups in this single-center, single-blinded trial. Patients in the REHAB group began municipal rehabilitation 4 to 6 weeks following surgery, whereas patients in the HOME group were discharged without any planned rehabilitation. After six months, the primary objective was the Oswestry Disability Index, with secondary outcomes including EuroQoL-5D and the Visual Analogue Scale for leg and back pain. All PROs were acquired prior to surgery as well as at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. The trial enrolled a total of 146 patients, with 73 in the REHAB group and 73 in the HOME group. The groups were similar at the start, with a 78% follow-up rate after 12 and 24 months. PROs improved significantly in both groups after surgery, but there were no statistically significant differences between them at any follow-up time point in the intent-to-treat, as-treated, or per-protocol analyses. During the follow-up period, the groups were evenly split in terms of revision operations. Lumbar disc herniation surgery was successful in reducing pain, enhancing function, and improving quality of life. Referring patients to municipal physical rehabilitation has no effect on their postoperative results as compared to no referral.
