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The course of low back pain in a general population. Results from a 5-year prospective study.
- Source :
-
Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics [J Manipulative Physiol Ther] 2003 May; Vol. 26 (4), pp. 213-9. - Publication Year :
- 2003
-
Abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the course of low back pain (LBP) in a general population over 5 years.<br />Design: Prospective population-based survey by postal questionnaires in 1991, 1992, and 1996.<br />Setting: The municipal of Ebeltoft, Denmark.<br />Subjects: Two thousand people aged 30 to 50 years, representative of the Danish population. Main outcome measure Number of days with low back pain during the past year.<br />Results: One thousand three hundred seventy were recruited of whom 813 (59%) were followed to 5 years. The responders could be divided into 3 groups with regard to LBP: no pain, short-term pain, and long-lasting/recurring pain. More than one third of people who experienced LBP in the previous year did so for >30 days. Forty percent of people with LBP >30 days at baseline remained in that group 1 and 5 years later, and 9% with LBP >30 days in year 0 were pain free in year 5. People with LBP in year 0 were 4 times more likely to have LBP in year 1, and 2 times more likely to be affected in year 5.<br />Conclusions: Low back pain should not be considered transient and therefore neglected, since the condition rarely seems to be self-limiting but merely presents with periodic attacks and temporary remissions. On the other hand, chronicity as defined solely by the duration of symptoms should not be considered chronic.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0161-4754
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 12750654
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0161-4754(03)00006-x