A study published in The Spine Journal examines the Timed Up and Go test for objective functional impairment in lumbar degenerative disc disease patients.
The study authors assessed patients with the TUG test and panel of subjective patient-reported outcomes measures. There were 275 patients scheduled for lumbar spine surgery and 110 healthy patients who participated in the study.
The researchers found:
1. Subjective PROMs decreased significantly with every increased quartile in the SF-12 mental component summary, which was the dependent variable in the study. The PROMs most notably linked to the increased SF-12 MCS quartiles were VAS back pain, VAS leg pain, Roland-Morris disability index and EQ-5D.
2. The two groups reported similar objective functional impairment scores measured by TUG T scores across SF-12 MCS quartiles.
3. The healthy patients reported a significant decrease in VAS leg pain, RMDI and ODI. They also reported an increase in EQ-5D across SF-12 MCS quartiles. The TUG T scores were stable.
4. The study authors reported significant influences of mental health related quality of life on subjective pain, functional impairment and health-related quality of life measures. Patients with DDD may suffer from lower mental health related quality of life.
5. The study authors concluded, "The TUG test appears to be a stable instrument and especially helpful in the evaluation of patients with lumbar DDD and mental health problems."