The effect of pedometer‐supported walking and telemonitoring after disc hernia surgery on pain and disability levels and quality of life.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pedometer‐supported walking and telemonitoring after lumbar disc hernia surgery on pain and disability levels and quality of life. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with two randomly selected groups conducted between March 2018 and January 2019. Sixty‐seven participants (33 in the intervention group and 34 in the control group) who had undergone lumbar microdiscectomy were allocated to receive and not to receive walking exercise. Pain and disability levels and quality of life of groups were tested with the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Oswestry Disability Index and the 36‐Item Short Form Survey. Measurements were taken 3 weeks after surgery and following completion of the first, second and third months. Results: Compared with the control group, pain level at the first and second months and disability level at the second and third months in the intervention group were significantly lower (p < 0.05), and in the third month, subdimension scores of quality of life (the physical role difficulty, energy and vitality, mental health, social functionality and pain) were higher (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Walking after herniated disc surgery decreased pain and disability levels and increased the quality of life; nurses can encourage adherence to walking as an effective intervention. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? After lumbar disc hernia surgery, patients experience low to moderate levels of pain and disability.Pain and disability levels can be decreased with appropriate post‐operative care and rehabilitation.Walking is a cheap and safe type of physical activity that is effective both in increasing physical activity after surgery and in decreasing pain and disability. What this paper adds? Walking was effective for reducing post lumbar disc hernia surgery pain and disability levels, positively contributing to better quality of life for these patients.This study showed that post discharge monitoring by nurses was necessary and important. The implications of this paper: Nurses should inform patients to gradually increase physical activity during discharge training.Walking is a simple and cheap activity with low risk of injury, which could be recommended as a type of exercise after lumbar disc herniation surgery.Nurses can use pedometers and the telemonitoring methods to motivate patients to walk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]