CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF OUTCOME OF ACUTE EPISODES OF LOW-BACK PAIN

  • 1 November 1988
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (5) , 483-487
Abstract
In this prospective study, predictors of outcome were identified for patients (n = 116) who presented to their family physician with acute mechanical low back pain. Short-term outcome was measured by the number of days lost from work and longer term outcome was measured by disability at the six-week follow-up. Unlike other published work, this study did not find obesity or a history of previous back problems to be related to a poorer outcome from acute episodes of low back pain. Among those patients not involved in manual labor, a history of anxiety or depression was a significant predictor of both greater work loss and longer term disability. Among this same group, cigarette smoking was also found to be related to greater long-term disability from acute low back pain. Further study of this relationship is needed. The number of hours of manual labor performed daily was a strong predictor of poor outcome (both short- and long-term) of acute episodes of low back pain. Among both manual laborers and professional-technical workers, the number of days off work (at bed rest) prescribed by the physician was significantly related to greater absenteeism from work; the physician''s diagnosis of an actual or possible disc problem was also related (P < 0.5) to greater work loss among manual laborers. Neither of these factors, however, was related to longer term disability.