Postoperative residual neuropathic pain prevents return to work after cervical OPLL surgery: nationwide multicenter study
Cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (c-OPLL) is an intractable disease that impairs activities of daily living and quality of life. There are few reports on patients' return to work (RTW) after surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the RTW status and its associated factors after c-OPLL surgery through a nationwide multicenter questionnaire survey and to provide reference evidence for determining the future treatment of this disease. We were able to study 286 patients (205 males, 81 females) from 13 institutions. We analyzed RTW in 198 patients, excluding 88 patients who were unemployed before surgery. RTW was confirmed in 151 patients (124 males, 27 females), and RTW rate was 76.3%. Significant differences were observed between RTW + and-groups in age, body mass index, preoperative workload, and preoperative JOA score. Notably, this study was the first to demonstrate that postoperative residual neuropathic pain is a significant factor associated with RTW after c-OPLL surgery. The results of this study will provide useful information for determining future treatment plans for patients with an eye toward returning to work after surgery, and may also have an impact on surgical indications for this disease.
Authors
- Hideaki Nakajima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9893-923X)
- Masashi Yamazaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9293-3531)
- Masayuki Miyagi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3082-9739)
- Yuji Yokozeki
- Toshitaka Yoshii (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3511-9020)
- Shinsuke Ikeda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5601-9374)
- Satoshi Kato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4762-5932)
- Yoshiharu Kawaguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7710-6012)
- Tsutomu Endo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2998-2242)
- Hiroaki Nakashima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0039-9678)
- Satoshi Maki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6809-3771)
- Takashi Hozumi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6963-690X)
- Masahiko Takahata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2436-2175)
- Hiroshi Takahashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3620-1352)
- Kenichiro Sakai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7265-3460)
- Norihiro Nishida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7754-6579)
- Satoru Egawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9367-3906)
- Takashi Hirai
- Shunji Tsutsui
- Shiro Imagama
- Kanji Mori
- Kazuo Kusano
- Masao Koda
Institutions
- Kanazawa University (JP)
- University of Fukui (JP)
- University of Tsukuba (JP)
- Chiba University (JP)
- Shiga University of Medical Science (JP)
- Shiga University (JP)
- Yamaguchi University (JP)
- Wakayama Medical University (JP)
- Hokkaido University (JP)
- Kudanzaka Hospital (JP)
- Institute for Fermentation (JP)
- University of Toyama (JP)
- Nagoya University (JP)
- Kitasato University (JP)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
- Dokkyo Medical University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-11-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-26781-9
- Primary Topic
- Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development