Background: The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, as a measure of objective functional impairment in lumbar degenerative disk disease (DDD), complements patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of subjective functional impairment.
Methods: Prospective 2-center study on consecutive patients scheduled for surgical treatment for lumbar DDD who underwent an objective (TUG test) and subjective (PROMs) functional assessment before and 1 and 3 days after surgery. PROMs included the visual analog scale (VAS), Roland-Morris Disability Index (RMDI), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Euro-Qol (EQ-5D), and Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaires. On completion of each assessment, patients were asked whether they would prefer performing the TUG test or completing the PROMs questionnaires.
Results: A total of 109 of 125 patients (87.2%) completed the assessments. Preoperatively, patients were 2.18 times as likely to prefer the TUG test to the PROMs (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-3.75). On postoperative days 1 and 3, patients were 5.79 (OR, 5.79; 95% CI, 3.23-10.37) and 6.33 times as likely to prefer the TUG test to the PROMs, respectively (OR, 6.33; 95% CI, 3.51-11.41). There were no statistical differences in baseline characteristics, TUG t scores, VAS, RMDI, ODI, SF-12, and EQ-5D index between patients preferring either the TUG test or the PROMs questionnaires.
Conclusions: The TUG test is preferred over a battery of PROMs by 60%-70% of patients with lumbar DDD not only in the preoperative, but also in the postoperative, setting. High functional disability does not result in avoidance of the TUG test, and repeated assessments lead to higher preference.
Keywords: Degenerative disk disease; Functional impairment; Health-related quality of life; Lumbar disk herniation; Lumbar spine stenosis; Objective; Patient-reported outcome measures; Patients' preference; Spine surgery; Subjective; Timed Up and Go test.
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