Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Back Pain

Takeaway

• This meta-analysis suggests that bariatric surgery is associated with a significant reduction in back pain in obese patients.

Why this matters

• Findings warrant further studies to determine the pathophysiologic mechanisms of development of back pain in obese patients and its improvement after bariatric surgery.

Study design

• 7 studies (n=246, mean age: 42.3 years, mean follow-up: 11.7 months) met eligibility criteria after a search across electronic databases.
• Primary outcome: visual analogue score for back pain pre- and post-bariatric surgery.
• Secondary outcomes: change in body mass index (BMI), Short-Form 36 (SF-36) scores for quality of life, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores.
• Funding: None disclosed.

Key results

• Bariatric surgery demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in visual analogue score for back pain (mean difference [MD], −3.01; 95% CI, −4.19 to −1.89; P<.001; I²=83%).
• Bariatric surgery was associated with statistically significant improvements in:
  • BMI (MD, −12.23; 95% CI, −14.07 to −10.39; I²=55%;
  • SF-36 (MD, 26.46; 95% CI, 12.88 to 40.04; I²=91%); and
  • ODI (MD, −9.54; 95% CI, −15.41 to −3.67; I²=63%) scores.

Limitations

• Heterogeneity among studies.
• Small sample size.

Stefanova I, Currie AC, Newton RC, Albon L, Slater G, Hawkins W, Pring C. A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Back Pain. Obes Surg. 2020 May 22 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1007/s11695-020-04713-y. PMID: 32440778. View abstract

This clinical summary first appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.