The natural history of idiopathic low back pain

[bernard]

http://www.dcmsonline.org/jax-medici...ack-school.htm

The natural history of idiopathic low back pain is well known. For the majority of patients, the prognosis is excellent as over 90% return to work within six weeks. However, it is the 5% of low back sufferers who are disabled for three months or more who account for about 80% of societal costs for the disease. The probability of returning to work after a one year period of disability due to low back pain is less than 20% and the probability decreases to less than 2% after two years of disability. In the last decade, a number of studies have demonstrated the importance of pain or illness behavior in this group of patients

:?: The natural history of idiopathic low back pain is well known? I have not found any explanation of it?

:?: Perhaps some of you have got some? :idea:

[Diane]

Sounds like whoever wrote that thinks that the 90%, 5%, 80% etc (which is really the statistical or the societal impact history of low back pain) is the same as the natural history of low back pain, the mechanisms, physiology and so on. Example of sloppy or misleading writing?

[nari]

Hi Bernard and Diane

Your post is a depressing one, Bernard. Especially as the success rate for back surgery is about the same for no intervention, medication and rest, and physiotherapy.
I guess the surgeons want to feel useful, and physiotherapy intervention is so varied as to be difficult to assess.


nari