Phone Counseling Reduces Pain, Disability After Back Surgery

Research recently published online in the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation suggests that having a short series of phone conversations with trained counselors can substantially boost recovery and reduce pain in patients after spinal surgery. The phone calls are designed to enrich standard pre- and post-operative care by reinforcing the value of sticking with physical therapy and back-strengthening exercise regimens. The study involved 122 patients ages 46 to 72 who underwent surgery between 2009 and 2012 to correct spinal stenosis. All patients were prescribed either home exercise programs or physical therapy to help speed recovery; about one-half of them also received a series of phone counseling sessions from a trained spinal surgery counselor to discuss the importance of exercise in their recovery. Overall, patients who got such phone calls participated in physical therapy and home exercise at higher rates and had less pain and less disability six months after their surgery, compared with the standard-approach group. Six months after surgery, 74 percent of patients who received phone counseling experienced significant improvements on standard measures of physical functioning and self-reported measures of pain, compared with 41 percent of those who did not receive phone calls. Although the phone counseling sessions significantly boosted patient engagement rates, one-third of patients remained resistant to intervention, the study results found. The most prevalent factors in their disengagement, the investigators say, were low self-confidence in the ability to perform the exercises or get to a physical therapy session, fear of movement, and concern about pain management. To learn more about the study, click here.