Neurospine.  2020 Mar;17(1):270-280. 10.14245/ns.1938368.184.

Lower Extremity Motor Deficits Are Underappreciated in Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Added Value of Objective Outcome Measures

• Stienen MN
• Maldaner N
• Sosnova M
• Joswig H
• Corniola M
• Regli L
• Hildebrandt G
• Schaller K
• Gautschi O

• KMID: 2501562
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14245/ns.1938368.184

Abstract

Objective
The patient-reported outcome measure (PROM)-based evaluation in lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) is today’s gold standard but has limitations. We studied the impact of lower extremity motor deficits (LEMDs) on PROMs and a new objective outcome measure.
Methods
We evaluated patients with lumbar DDD from a prospective 2-center database. LEMDs were graded according to the British Medical Research Council (BMRC; 5 [normal] –0 [no movement]). The PROM-based evaluation included pain (visual analogue scale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI] & Roland-Morris Disability Index [RMDI]), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short-Form 12 physical component summary/mental component summary & EuroQol-5D index). Objective functional impairment (OFI) was determined as age- and sex-adjusted Timed-Up and Go (TUG) test value.
Results
One hundred five of 375 patients (28.0%) had a LEMD. Patients with LEMD had slightly higher disability (ODI: 52.8 vs. 48.2, p = 0.025; RMDI: 12.6 vs. 11.3, p = 0.034) but similar pain and HRQoL scores. OFI T-scores were significantly higher in patients with LEMD (144.2 vs. 124.3, p = 0.006). When comparing patients with high- (BMRC 0–2) vs. low-grade LEMD (BMRC 3–4), no difference was evident for the PROM-based evaluation (all p > 0.05) but patients with high-grade LEMD had markedly higher OFI T-scores (280.9 vs. 136.0, p = 0.001). Patients with LEMD had longer TUG test times and OFI T-scores than matched controls without LEMDs.
Conclusion
Our data suggest that PROMs fail to sufficiently account for LEMD-associated disability, which is common and oftentimes bothersome to patients. The objective functional evaluation with the TUG test appears to be more sensitive to LEMD-associated disability. An objective functional evaluation of patients with LEMD appears reasonable.

Keyword

Objective functional impairment; Lumbar degenerative disc disease; Motor deficit; Paresis; Disability; Patient-reported outcome measure