Faculty of Kinesiology Thesis Oral Examination - Tyler Adams, MSc KIN candidate-FR and SJ

Event Details:

Tyler Adams, MSc Kinesiology candidate, will defend his thesis entitled "The Role of Preoperative Therapies in Recovery from Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery for Cervical Radiculopathy" on Wednesday, June 8, at 8:30 a.m. via MS Teams.

For a link to the MS Teams event, please contact Dr. Jonathon Edwards at Jonathon.Edwards@unb.ca  

ABSTRACT

Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy is a neck disorder caused by compression of cervical nerve roots leading to pain and disability of the neck and arms. The role of preoperative therapies on outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery is unknown. The aim of this study is to identify associations between common preoperative therapies and postoperative pain and disability outcomes. The preoperative therapies investigated are anti-convulsant and opioid pain medication, spinal injections, physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment, and regular exercise. We undertook a longitudinal analysis of prospectively collected data from 352 patients. Study outcomes are neck pain, arm pain, and neck pain-related disability measured preoperatively and 3, 12, and 24 months post-surgery. Trajectories of pain and disability were modeled over time, with participants fitted into subgroups using latent-class growth analysis. Associations between preoperative prognostic factors and trajectory group membership were investigated using robust Poisson models. In total 15.5%, 23.2%, and 23.5% of patients were classified as experiencing a poor neck disability, neck pain, and arm pain outcome respectively. Univariable results showed that daily opioid use was associated with poor neck disability outcome. Additionally, spinal injections, physiotherapy, and regular exercise were predictive of good outcome. Furthermore, multivariable results demonstrated spinal injections, physiotherapy, and regular exercise had a causal effect on neck disability outcome after controlling for age, sex, baseline pain (or disability) levels, and education. Approximately one out of five patients with cervical radiculopathy experience poor outcome following ACDF. Common preoperative therapies show predictive ability and have causal effects on postoperative outcome. These preoperative variables can help inform future healthcare policies and identify optimal surgical candidates.

Building: MS Teams