Bekir TUNÇ, Egemen ÜNAL, Emine AKBAL, Ümit GÖKDERE, Ömer Faruk ŞAHİN, Halil İbrahim AÇIKGÖZ
Journal of Turkish Spinal Surgery - 2026;37(2):64-70
Objective: Low back pain is common among individuals over 15 years and often leads to hospitalizations. Impaired sleep quality is a major complication. Pain and sleep interact in a vicious cycle in which pain disrupts sleep and poor sleep worsens pain. This study aimed to assess changes in sleep quality and quality of life after lumbar surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 106 patients underwent lumbar surgery between December 2023 and April 2024. Assessments were performed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively using the visual analog scale (VAS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L). Results: The cohort included 56 females (53%), with ages ranging from 23-78 years. Surgery was performed for lumbar spinal stenosis in 37 (35%), lumbar spondylolisthesis (LSL) in 31 (30%), and lumbar disc herniation (LDH) in 38 (35%). Postoperatively, VAS and PSQI scores decreased significantly, while EQ-5D-3L scores increased. Conclusion: Lumbar surgery provided meaningful improvements in pain, sleep, and quality of life, particularly in patients who were unresponsive to conservative therapy. The most pronounced benefits occurred in LDH, whereas notable gains were also observed in LSL, a condition rarely studied in this context. These outcomes may reflect the less invasive nature of decompression compared with that of fusion. Overall, lumbar surgery represents an effective treatment option and offers new insights into the relationship between spinal disorders and sleep quality.
