Effects of Empowerment-Based Rehabilitation on Patients Following Lumbar Disc Herniation Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

AIMS/

BACKGROUND

Lumbar disc herniation is a common chronic musculoskeletal condition requiring long-term postoperative rehabilitation. However, implementation of existing nursing models is often discontinuous and they are generally not patient-centered. This study aimed to explore the effects of a continuous rehabilitation intervention program based on empowerment theory on pain severity, lumbar function, self-efficacy and quality of life in postoperative patients with lumbar disc herniation from the perspective of internal medicine and chronic disease management.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Cangnan County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including 147 patients who underwent single-level lumbar discectomy between January 2023 and June 2025. The patients underwent single-level lumbar discectomy of lumbar disc prolapse and were divided into a control group (n = 75) and an intervention group (n = 72). The control group received routine nursing and health education postoperatively. On the basis of routine nursing, the intervention group received continuous rehabilitation intervention based on empowerment theory for 3 months. The intervention program consisted of three core components: (1) in-hospital empowerment; (2) post-discharge empowerment support (1-12 weeks after surgery); (3) digital empowerment support via the WeChat platform. The effects of the intervention were evaluated before and 3 months after the intervention using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

RESULTS

Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups (all p > 0.05). After the intervention, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvements than the control group, with significantly lower median VAS score (3.00 vs. 4.00, p < 0.001) and median ODI score (28.00 vs. 32.00, p = 0.005), as well as significantly higher median GSES score, SF-36 Bodily Pain (BP) score, and Role-Physical (RP) score (all p < 0.001). The overall nursing satisfaction rate was also significantly higher in the intervention group (93.06% vs. 78.67%, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

The empowerment-based continuous rehabilitation intervention was associated with lower pain, better lumbar function, enhanced self-efficacy, and improved quality of life in postoperative patients with lumbar disc herniation, offering a patient-centered strategy for long-term rehabilitation management from the perspective of internal medicine and chronic disease care.