Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the views and experiences of patients with sciatica who have undergone a bespoke physiotherapy programme whilst awaiting primary lumbar microdiscectomy.
Methods
This is a qualitative study, nested within a preliminary RCT. All patients were listed for primary, single-level microdiscectomy surgery. In the experimental arm of the study 29 patients had up to 6 sessions of physiotherapy over an 8 week period while on the waiting list for lumbar microdiscectomy. After surgery, they were invited to participate in an in-depth semi-structured interview. At this time patients had either decided not to have the surgery, or had undergone surgery. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. Two researchers were involved in the analysis of the data to ensure the interpretation of the findings was robust, credible and trustworhy.
Results:
21 patients were interviewed with 24 patients in the sample undergoing surgery following the physiotherapy.
The physiotherapy was found to be of value with patients appreciating exercises to reduce pain and discomfort, techniques for improving properly, interventions to improve gait and posture, hands-on therapy and gym work through an individually tailored treatment approach. Another strong theme was that of perceived delays for scanning and entry into secondary care.
Conclusion:
The nested qualitative study provides further evidence as to the experiences and difficulties faced by patients with sciatica. An emergent theme was the difficulty in accessing what patients perceived to be appropriate care. The bespoke, patient-orientated approach was well received by both clinicians and patients and provides opportunities for its wider introduction.
This abstract presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant
