Mean Pain and Activity Limitation Ratings
Throughout the assessment, mean pain ratings were low. No mean was greater than 1.63. Four weeks after surgery, the mean lower back pain rating actually had decreased slightly from baseline, although the other mean pain rating slightly increased. By eight weeks, the mean pain ratings for all sites decreased from the four-week rating. The average duration of lower back pain for the 11 patients who reported it after surgery was 17 days (range 0.5–62 days).