Return to work in patients with lumbar disc herniation undergoing fusion.
Lauren A ProtzerSteven D GlassmanPraveen V MummaneniMohamad BydonErica F BissonMladen DjurasovicLeah Yacat CarreonPublished in: Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research (2021)
The need for fusion in LDH cases is unusual, seen in only 10% of cases in this series. The addition of fusion decreased the RTW rate from 85 to 66% at 3 months and from 93 to 82% at 12 months post-op. While the difference is significant, the ultimate deterioration in RTW may be less than anticipated. A reasonable RTW rate can still be expected in the rare patient who requires fusion as part of their treatment for LDH.