The effects of lower back pain due to herniated disc on sleep, quality of life and depression symptoms

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between herniated disc-related low back pain and depression, sleep, and quality of life.Methods: A control group consisting of 28 patients with herniated disc-related pain and 28 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Quality of Life Index (SF-36) are applied to all groups. Pain severity was evaluated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Sleep parameters were analyzed with an actigraphy device.Results: Depression and quality of life scores differed between the two groups, and they were observed as significantly higher in the group with herniated disc. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between pain severity and depression. On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between pain intensity and sleep efficiency. Subjects with low back pain had worse sleep quality and lower sleep efficiency (mean 71.7%) than the control group. The logistic regression analysis found a significant relationship between depression and VAS pain variables (p=0.030; 95% CI: 0.021-0.823).Conclusions: Our study's results reveal a relationship between pain and depression in herniated disc patients. Moreover, it was concluded that the deteriorated sleep quality due to low back pain also increased the severity of depression. This relationship related to the unpleasant consequences of chronic pain should be taken into account when planning the medical treatment and follow-up of patients with herniated disc, and also when explaining their expectations from surgical treatment.Keywords: Herniated disc, pain, sleep, depression, actigraphy.