Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of all patients included and the 99 patients followed up at 9 years
| Lumbar fusion | Cognitive intervention and exercises | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline (n = 66) | Long term (n = 55) | Baseline (n = 58) | Long term (n = 44) | |
| Mean age (years) | 42.7 ± 8.0 | 43.0 ± 8.1 | 42.4 ± 8.0 | 42.6 ± 7.9 |
| Men/women (%) | 27/39 (41/59) | 19/36 (35/65) | 29/29 (50/50) | 19/25 (43/57) |
| Duration of symptoms in years | 8.9 ± 7.9 | 8.7 ± 7.6 | 9.6 ± 7.4 | 9.8 ± 6.7 |
| Married/living together | 57 (86) | 47 (85) | 49 (81) | 38 (86) |
| Occupational education <3 years | 45 (68) | 39 (71) | 38 (66) | 28 (64) |
| Work status | ||||
| Working | 9 (14) | 9 (16) | 9 (16) | 7 (16) |
| On sick leave | 14 (21) | 13 (24) | 16 (28) | 12 (27) |
| On rehabilitation | 29 (44) | 21(38) | 22 (38) | 17 (39) |
| Disability pension | 10 (15) | 8 (15) | 10 (17) | 7 (16) |
| Other | 4 (6) | 4 (7) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) |
| ODI | 44.5 ± 10.7 | 44.5 ± 10.8 | 44.2 ± 11.0 | 44.4 ± 11.2 |
| Back pain (0–100) (worst possible) | 63.0 ± 14.7 | 62.4 ± 14.4 | 64.6 ± 12.5 | 63.2 ± 12.8 |
| Comorbidity | 24 (36) | 20 (36) | 18 (31) | 13 (30) |
| Taking analgesics daily or weekly | 40 (61) | 33 (60) | 40 (69) | 31 (70) |
| Smoking | 36 (55) | 28 (51) | 30 (52) | 21 (48) |
Values are mean ± SD or number of patients (%)