Abstract
Purpose: Study purpose was to assess progression and current condition of patients with back pain five years after initial conservative treatment in BPSC.
Methods and results: 100 from the first 1000 patients were randomly selected. 46 male mean age 44.85 and 54 female patients mean age 48.56 years were assessed by interview and questionnaires for symptoms progression, time out of work, litigation, other treatments and treatment satisfaction. In 72 patients pain started spontaneously. 15 had pain related to industrial injury/RTA. 3 patients had neck pain and 3 lower back pain related to sports injury. 3 females had postpartum back pain. 6 patients were excluded from the study (4 no data available, 1 child, 1 death). Mean time out of work for patients with spontaneous back pain was 3.07 weeks (SD 1.83) and for patients with industrial injury/RTA 23.42 weeks (SD 39.92) (p=0.003). Analyzing outcome measures 1 vs 5y showed: SF36 PCS mean 31.99 vs 50.53 (SD 7.38 vs 6.28) (p< 0.001), MCS mean 37.63 vs 53.0 (SD 11.10 vs 6.15) (p< 0.001), ODI 40.71 vs 13.94 (SD 20.65 vs 9.41) (p< 0.001), HA mean 8.81 vs 2.96 (SD 4.64 vs 1.91) (p< 0.001), DS mean 6.51 vs 2.26 (SD 4.32 vs 1.40) (p< 0.001) and VAS mean 4.01 vs 0.94 (SD 2.08 vs 1.23) (p< 0.001). 93% patients found BPSC treatment useful.
Conclusion: Significant symptomatic improvement is seen in patients five years after initial BPSC treatment. Time out of work is significantly increased in patients pursuing litigation compared with patients with spontaneous onset of back pain.
Correspondence should be addressed to Mr J. O’Dowd, Honorary Secretary at SBPR c/o BOA, Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE.
