Biomechanical Factors could Affect Lumbar Disc Reherniation after Microdiscectomy

Abstract

Low back pain affects an estimated half a billion people at any time worldwide. Although several noninvasive treatment strategies have been developed, in many cases, they cannot relief patients’ symptoms, thus low back discectomy is the appropriate treatment of choice. It is widely accepted that surgery alters the biomechanics of the functional motion segment and results in additional disc herniation at the adjacent level or the opposite side, more commonly than expected. After the discectomy, changes in vertebral load properties and kinetics could occur. As a result, biomechanical stress on the affected level as well as cyclic loads can cause lumbar disc reherniation (rLDH). Since the rate of recurrent disc herniation is about 5%-15%, further research should be done so as to quantify the postoperative lumbar spine kinematic pattern, with the use of wearable sensors technology, that could be a potential biomechanical factor causing rLDH.