Post-Spinal Backache! A Myth or an Overlooked Complication

Aftab Hussain; Muhammad Asif Saleem; Rehana Feroze; Faisal Wahid; Saleem Pervaiz Bajwa; Muhammad Akram

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v73i3.7144

Authors

Aftab Hussain Department of Anesthesia, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan
Muhammad Asif Saleem Department of Anesthesia, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan
Rehana Feroze Department of Anesthesia, CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan
Faisal Wahid Department of Anesthesia, Armed Forces Institute of Urology/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi Pakistan
Saleem Pervaiz Bajwa Department of Anesthesia, International Medical College, Abbottabad Pakistan
Muhammad Akram Department of Anesthesia, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v73i3.7144

Keywords:

Backache, Back pain, General anesthesia, Post-spinal backache, Spinal anesthesia

Abstract

Objective: To find out the difference in the backache when a 27G Quincke needle with no more than two attempts is used for spinal anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia.

Study Design: Prospective comparative study.

Place and Duration of Study: Anesthesia Department, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore Pakistan, from Jun 2020 to May 2021.

Methodology: A total of 150 patients were divided into two Groups. C-sections were performed under general and spinal anaesthesia in Group-GA and Group-SA, respectively. General anaesthesia was induced with intravenous anaesthetics following rapid sequence induction. The 27G Quincke needle was used for spinal anaesthesia with no more than two attempts. Post-operative follow-ups for backache were carried out at 24-hours, 1, 4 and 12 weeks.

Results: At 24-hours post-operative follow-up, 8 patients from the GA-Group and 17 from the SA-Group had backache; the difference was significant (p-value of 0.049). At week-1, two patients from the GA-Group and five from the SA-Group complained of backache (p-value 0.246). Similarly, at week-4, only one patient from the GA Group and four from the SAGroup had backache (p-value 0.127). At the 12-week follow-up, only one patient complained of backache, and she belonged to the SA- Group (p-value 0.316).

Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia results in a significantly high frequency of backache as compared to general anaesthesia in the immediate post-operative period; however, there is no long-term difference in backache.