Do pain, function, range of motion, fear and distress differ according to symptom duration and work status in patients with low back pain? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and objectives

There is limited research on the relationship between commonly used outcome measures, pain duration and work status. The objective of this study was to examine this relationship in different groups of patients with low back pain (LBP).

Methods

This is a multicentre cross-sectional study. Patients with LBP (n = 141) between 18 and 65 years were divided into groups according to pain duration and work status and compared: acute (<6 weeks), subacute (6–12 weeks), chronic (>12 weeks), on sick leave versus working. Outcome measures: pain intensity, function, lumbar mobility, fear avoidance beliefs and mental distress.

Results

No differences were found in outcomes in relation to symptom duration, except for lumbar mobility in the acute group (−1.1 cm, p = 0.007), and distress in the chronic group (0.2 points, p = 0.004). Patients on sick leave had overall significantly worse outcomes versus patients working. Fear avoidance had the strongest association with sick leave measured with correlation analysis (r = −0.42). Fear avoidance, pain intensity and function discriminated best between those on sick leave versus those working.

Conclusion

Pain, function and fear avoidance beliefs did not differ in patients with different durations of LBP, but lumbar mobility and distress did. Patients on sick leave had worse symptoms, and fear, pain and function were associated to sick leave.

Keywords:

• Cross-sectional study
• low back pain
• fear avoidance
• distress
• sick leave

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jan Sture Skouen, Prof.dr med. for valuable support during the writing process of this article. We also thank the manual therapists (PTs) Jens Hoel Nilsen and Paal Brynildsen for their help in the process of patients inclusion.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).