Effect of Obesity and Being Overweight on Disability and Pain After Lumbar Fusion: An Analysis of 805 Patients

STUDY DESIGN.Prospective follow-up study. OBJECTIVE.To investigate the influence of obesity and being overweight on disability and pain of patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.Although spinal fusion surgery has been shown to relieve symptoms in several spinal disorders, the influence of obesity on the results remains controversial. METHODS.Since January 1, 2008, all patients undergoing lumbar fusion in two hospitals have been invited to participate in a prospective follow-up database. At the end of 2014, the preoperative and 1-year follow-up data of 805 patients were available. Disability was evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index and back and leg pain by the visual analogue scale. In addition, the working status, smoking, physical activity, duration of symptoms, and indication for surgery were captured. According to the World Health Organization classification of preoperative body mass index, patients were divided into three groupsnormal weight (