Assessment of physical and psychological function factors and central sensitization-related symptoms associated with the Oswestry Disability Index in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis

Purpose To evaluate the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), physical and psychological functions, and central sensitization-related symptoms (CSSs) in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and identify factors associated with ODI and patient-reported outcomes related to disability in activities of daily living. Methods This single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study evaluated the ODI, back and leg pain intensity, knee joint extension muscle strength, 6-min walking distance, Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) score, and Central Sensitization Inventory-9 (CSI-9) score in patients with LSS (71 [50–87] years). Correlation analysis was performed between the ODI and each variable. Moreover, multiple regression analysis was performed using the ODI as the dependent variable and all items as independent variables. Results A total of 125 patients, including 15 (12.0%) with minimal disabilities, 67 (53.6%) with moderate disabilities, 32 with severe disabilities (25.6%), 11 classified as crippled (8.8%), and none classified as bedbound or exaggerated (0.0%), were included. Leg pain (β = 0.159, p  = 0.018), 6-min walking distance (β = -0.354, p  < 0.001), PCS score (β = 0.313, p  < 0.001), and CSI-9 score (β = 0.226, p  = 0.004) were independently associated with the ODI and were selected in the final model (adjusted R ²  = 0.514). Conclusion Leg pain, 6-min walking distance, PCS score, and CSSs are potentially associated with the ODI in preoperative patients with LSS. In addition to physical function, psychological aspects of pain and CSSs should be assessed in patients with LSS.