Differences in Beliefs About Pain Control After Surgery Due to Lumbar or Cervical Discopathy and Degenerative Spine Disease

Background: Clinical, psychological and demographic variables have been investigated to determine factors involved in quality of life of patients with chronic pain. It has been stressed that chronic pain is more associated with beliefs about pain, than with pain intensity.

Objective: The main aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to examine differences between postoperative beliefs about pain control, perception of pain and mood disturbances in patients treated operatively due to neck or lumbar discopathy and degenerative spine disease.

Methods: Forty-four patients treated operatively due to lumbar and forty-one patients treated surgically due to cervical discopathy filled in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-PL) and Beliefs about Pain Control Questionnaire (BPCQ-PL). Patients with lumbar and cervical discopathy additionally completed disease-specific outcome measures.

Results: The patient groups do not differ significantly in regards to BPCQ-PL, BDI-PL or VAS. Both study samples differ in regards to dependencies related to beliefs that pain is controlled by powerful others and about internal control of pain.

Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral interventions, concerning depression and beliefs about pain control, may be appropriate for both lumbar and cervical surgical populations, to improve post-surgical functioning.