<![CDATA[Patients with lumbar disc herniation who undergo lumbar microdiscectomy often experience barriers to recovery due to psychological factors such as fear avoidance. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the level of fear avoidance and recovery, as well as the ability to return to work (return to work/RTW) in postoperative patients. This study employed a prospective cohort design conducted at the Analgesia Clinic, Bali, using the FABQ (Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire), ODI (Oswestry Disability Index), and RTW as measurement instruments. Data were collected at three time points: pre-intervention, the first month, and the third month postoperatively. The results of the Spearman correlation test showed a very strong and statistically significant positive relationship between FABQ and ODI (r = 0.919; p = 0.000), as well as a significant relationship between FABQ and RTW (r = 0.775; p = 0.014). These findings indicate that higher fear avoidance scores are associated with higher levels of disability and a longer time to return to work. In conclusion, fear avoidance plays an important role in determining the level of recovery and the timing of return to work. Therefore, psychosocial interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy are necessary to reduce fear avoidance and accelerate patients’ functional recovery.]]>
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