Abstract
Between January 1999 and December 2000, 82 patients who had undergone previous spinal surgery were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Fifty of the patients completed questionnaires about their medical histories, demographic details, symptoms, quality of life and preoperative and postoperative function. The Medical Research Council performed statistical analysis of the questionnaires.
The ages of the respondents varied, with 70% falling into the 40 to 60-year age group. The majority (80%) were married and reported good to excellent ties with spouse and family. Matriculants made up 76%, and 56% had tertiary education. In 70%, chronic tiredness impaired their daily activity, and 88% reported sleep disturbances. Only 10% believed that surgery had alleviated their neck or back symptoms, and 62% were unhappy with the results of surgery. Before surgery 82% had chronic pain, and after surgery 80% still had pain. Even after treatment for fibromyalgia, 68% still had back pain. There was no significant difference in preoperative and postoperative evaluations of quality of life, and the impact of spinal surgery on function was negative.
The demographic profile of our patients compares with that in the literature. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are diverse and current treatment regimes do not give satisfactory control. In our study, we found that spinal surgery neither ameliorates the symptoms nor improves the poor quality of life of fibromyalgia patients.
The abstracts were edited by Prof. M.B.E. Sweet. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical School, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 South Africa
