Free Article: Rate of Return to Military Active Duty After Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Background: Lumbar interbody fusion has been extensively studied in the civilian population; however, data regarding its efficacy in the military are lacking.

Objective: To identify the rate of return to unrestricted active military duty after single-level lumbar interbody fusion surgery.

Methods: The surgical database at a single tertiary care military treatment facility was queried for active-duty patients who underwent a single-level lumbar interbody fusion over a 5-year period. A retrospective chart review was performed with backward stepwise logistic regression analysis, and Fisher exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for statistical analysis.