Low Back Pain

Treatment of Lower Back Pain-The Gap between Guideline-Based Treatment and Medical Care Reality

By Frank M. Painter|November 17, 2022|Guidelines, Initial Provider, Low Back Pain|

Treatment of Lower Back Pain-The Gap between Guideline-Based Treatment and Medical Care Reality

SOURCE: Healthcare (Basel) 2016 (Jul 15); 4 (3): 44 ~ FULL TEXT

OPEN ACCESS

Andreas Werber and Marcus Schiltenwolf

Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery,
University Hospital Giessen,
Klinikstr. 33, 35392
Giessen, Germany

Despite the fact that unspecific low back pain is of important impact in general health care, this pain condition is often treated insufficiently. Poor efficiency has led to the necessity of guidelines addressing evidence-based strategies for treatment of lower back pain (LBP). We present some statements of the German medical care reality. Self-responsible action of the patient should be supported while invasive methods in particular should be avoided due to lacking evidence in outcome efficiency. However, it has to be stated that no effective implementation strategy has been established yet. Especially, studies on the economic impact of different implementation strategies are lacking.

A lack of awareness of common available guidelines and an uneven distribution of existing knowledge throughout the population can be stated: persons with higher risk suffering from LBP by higher professional demands and lower educational level are not skilled in advised management of LBP. Both diagnostic imaging and invasive treatment methods increased dramatically leading to increased costs and doctor workload without being associated with improved patient functioning, severity of pain or overall health status due to the absence of a functioning primary care gate keeping system for patient selection.

Opioids are prescribed on a grand scale and over a long period. Moreover, opioid prescription is not indicated properly, when predominantly persons with psychological distress like somatoform disorders are treated with opioids.

Keywords: guideline-based treatment; low back pain; somatisation.

From the FULL TEXT Article:

There is more like this @ our:

INITIAL PROVIDER Section and the:

LOW BACK PAIN Section

(more…)

0

Adverse Impacts of Chronic Pain on Health-related Quality of Life, Work Productivity, Depression and Anxiety in a Community-based Study

By Frank M. Painter|November 5, 2022|Initial Provider, Low Back Pain, Spinal Pain Management|

Adverse Impacts of Chronic Pain on Health-related Quality of Life, Work Productivity, Depression and Anxiety in a Community-based Study

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Family Practice 2017 (Nov 16); 34 (6): 656–661

OPEN ACCESS

Kosuke Kawai, Alison Tse Kawai, Peter Wollan, Barbara P Yawn

Clinical Research Center,
Boston Children’s Hospital,
Harvard Medical School,
Boston, MA, USA.

Background: Chronic pain has major clinical and social consequences. Few studies have examined any variation in the extent of impairment on quality of life and work productivity by site and type of chronic pain.

Objective: The objective of our study is to examine adverse impacts of chronic pain on physical and psychological health and work productivity.

Methods: Our community-population study was based on a phone-interview of adults with chronic pain, residing in Olmsted County, MN. Chronic pain groups were categorized into abdominal pain, back pain, joint pain, multisite pain, neuropathic pain or no chronic pain. We used standardized instruments, including the Brief Pain Inventory, the Patients Health Questionnair-9, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire.

Results: We evaluated 591 patients suffering from chronic pain and 150 participants with no chronic pain. Almost one third of patients with multisite pain (33%) and neuropathic pain (32%) reported mild/major depressive symptoms. Patients suffering from chronic pain, particularly from multisite pain and neuropathic pain, reported significant pain interferences with daily activities and impairments in physical function. Chronic pain was significantly associated with reduced performance at work but not with missed work hours. The average reported reduction in work productivity ranged from 2.4 hours (±5.6) per week for adults with joint chronic pain to 9.8 hours (±11.1) per week for adults with multisite chronic pain.

There is more like this @ our:

LOW BACK PAIN Section and the:

SPINAL PAIN MANAGEMENT Section

(more…)

0

Providing Information at the Initial Consultation to Patients with Low Back Pain Across General Practice, Chiropractic and Physiotherapy – A Cross-sectorial Study of Danish Primary Care

By Frank M. Painter|November 2, 2022|Chiropractic Management, Low Back Pain|

Providing Information at the Initial Consultation to Patients with Low Back Pain Across General Practice, Chiropractic and Physiotherapy – A Cross-sectorial Study of Danish Primary Care

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Scand J Prim Health Care 2022 (Oct 31); 1–9

OPEN ACCESS

Lars Morsø, Jesper Lykkegaard, Merethe Kirstine Andersen, Anders Hansen, Mette Jensen Stochkendahl, Simon Dyrløv Madsen, Berit Schiøttz Christensen

Department of Clinical Research,
Research Unit OPEN,
University of Southern Denmark,
Odense, Denmark

Objective: Clinical guidelines for managing low back pain (LBP) emphasise patient information, patient education and physical activity as key components. Little is known about who actually receives information. This study investigates to what extent information at the first consultation with general practitioner (GP), chiropractor (DC) and physiotherapist (PT) in Danish primary care is provided to

Design and setting: This cross-sectorial study was conducted as a prospective survey registration of LBP consultations at the three primary health care professions in Denmark.

Intervention: Clinicians ticked off a paper survey chart during or after consultations with patients who visited the clinic for LBP (Approval number: ID # 11.220).

Subjects: 33 GPs, 43 DCs and 61 PTs registered first-time consultations.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was provision of information, overall and across care settings.

Results: The overall proportion of patients provided with information was 72%, but this varied among professions (GP, 44%; DC, 76%; and PT, 74%). Provision of information increased to 78% if patients had increased emotional distress or back-related leg pain below the knee. The strongest association with provision of information was having two or three signs of elevated distress (OR 2.58 and 5.05, respectively, p= 0.00) or physical disability (OR 2.55, p= 0.00).

There are more articles like this @ our:

LOW BACK PAIN Section

(more…)

0

The Importance, Measurement and Practical Implications of Worker’s Expectations for Return to Work

By Frank M. Painter|October 10, 2022|Chiropractic Management, Low Back Pain, Return To Work, Whiplash|

The Importance, Measurement and Practical Implications of Worker’s Expectations for Return to Work

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Disabil Rehabil 2015; 37 (20): 1808–1816

Amanda E Young, Elyssa Besen, YoonSun Choi

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety,
Center for Disability Research,
Hopkinton, MA, USA.

Purpose: &nbsp Workers’ own expectations for return to work consistently predict work status. To advance the understanding of the relationship between RTW expectations and outcomes, we reviewed existing measures to determine those which we felt were the most likely to capture the construct.

Method: &nbsp A comprehensive search of the work-disability rehabilitation literature was undertaken. The review of the measures was conducted in three steps: first, a review of terminology; second, an examination of whether a time reference was included; third, an evaluation of ease of comprehension, and applicability across contexts.

Results: &nbsp A total of 42 different measures were identified. One of the most striking findings was the inconsistency in terminology. Measures were also limited by not including a time reference. Problems were also identified with regards to ease of understanding, utility of response options, and applicability in a wide variety of research and applied settings.

Conclusions: &nbsp Most previously used measures contain elements that potentially limit utility. However, it would seem that further development can overcome these, resulting in a tool that provides risk prediction information, and an opportunity to start a conversation to help identify problems that might negatively impact a worker’s movement through the RTW process and the outcomes achieved. Implications for Rehabilitation Return to work is an integral part of workplace injury management. The capture of RTW expectations affords a way to identify the potential for less than optimal RTW processes and outcomes. A mismatch between an injured worker’s expectations and what other stakeholders might expect suggests that efforts could be made to determine what is causing the injured worker’s concerns. Once underling issues are identified, work can be put into resolving these so that the worker’s return to the workplace is not impeded.

There is more like this @ our:

WHIPLASH Section and the:

LOW BACK PAIN Section

(more…)

0

Swiss Chiropractic Practice-based Research Network and Musculoskeletal Pain Cohort Pilot Study: Protocol of a Nationwide Resource to Advance Musculoskeletal Health Services Research

By Frank M. Painter|August 27, 2022|Low Back Pain, Musculoskeletal Pain|

Swiss Chiropractic Practice-based Research Network and Musculoskeletal Pain Cohort Pilot Study: Protocol of a Nationwide Resource to Advance Musculoskeletal Health Services Research

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: BMJ Open 2022 (Jul 13); 12 (7): e059380

OPEN ACCESS

Rahim Lalji, Léonie Hofstetter, Alice Kongsted, Viktor von Wyl, Milo A Puhan, and Cesar A Hincapié

Department of Chiropractic Medicine,
Balgrist University Hospital and University of Zurich,
Zurich, Switzerland.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain conditions, a leading cause of global disability, are usually first managed in primary care settings such as medical, physiotherapy, and chiropractic community-based practices. While chiropractors often treat MSK conditions, there is limited real-world evidence on the topic of health service outcomes among patients receiving this type of care. A nationwide Swiss chiropractic practice-based research network (PBRN) and MSK pain patient cohort study will have potential to monitor the epidemiological trends of MSK pain conditions and contribute to healthcare quality improvement. The primary aims of this protocol are to (1) describe the development of an MSK-focused PBRN within the Swiss chiropractic setting, and (2) describe the methodology of the first nested study to be conducted within the PBRN-an observational prospective patient cohort pilot study.

Methods and analysis: This initiative is conceptualised with two distinct phases. Phase I focuses on the development of the Swiss chiropractic PBRN, and will use a cross-sectional design to collect information from chiropractic clinicians nationwide. Phase II will recruit consecutive patients aged 18 years or older with MSK pain from community-based chiropractic practices participating in the PBRN into a prospective chiropractic cohort pilot study. All data collection will occur through electronic surveys offered in the three Swiss official languages (German, French, Italian) and English. Surveys will be provided to patients prior to their initial consultation in clinics, 1 hour after initial consultation, and at 2, 6 and 12 weeks after initial consultation.

Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been obtained from the independent research ethics committee of Canton Zurich (BASEC-Nr: 2021-01479). Informed consent will be obtained electronically from all participants.

There are more articles like this @ our:

SPINAL PAIN MANAGEMENT Section

(more…)

0

Association Between Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Benzodiazepine Prescription in Patients with Radicular Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Real-world Data From the USA

By Frank M. Painter|July 7, 2022|Low Back Pain, Nonpharmacologic Therapies|

Association Between Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Benzodiazepine Prescription in Patients with Radicular Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Real-world Data From the USA

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: BMJ Open 2022 (Jun 13); 12 (6): e058769

OPEN ACCESS

Robert James Trager, Zachary A Cupler, Kayla J DeLano, Jaime A Perez, Jeffery A Dusek

Connor Whole Health, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Objectives: Although chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (CSMT) and prescription benzodiazepines are common treatments for radicular low back pain (rLBP), no research has examined the relationship between these interventions. We hypothesise that utilisation of CSMT for newly diagnosed rLBP is associated with reduced odds of benzodiazepine prescription through 12 months’ follow-up.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: National, multicentre 73-million-patient electronic health records-based network (TriNetX) in the USA, queried on 30 July 2021, yielding data from 2003 to the date of query.

Participants: Adults aged 18-49 with an index diagnosis of rLBP were included. Serious aetiologies of low back pain, structural deformities, alternative neurological lesions and absolute benzodiazepine contraindications were excluded. Patients were assigned to cohorts according to CSMT receipt or absence. Propensity score matching was used to control for covariates that could influence the likelihood of benzodiazepine utilisation.

Outcome measures: The number, percentage and OR of patients receiving a benzodiazepine prescription over 3, 6 and 12 months’ follow-up prematching and postmatching.

Results: After matching, there were 9206 patients (mean (SD) age, 37.6 (8.3) years, 54% male) per cohort. Odds of receiving a benzodiazepine prescription were significantly lower in the CSMT cohort over all follow-up windows prematching and postmatching (p<0.0001). After matching, the OR (95% CI) of benzodiazepine prescription at 3 months was 0.56 (0.50 to 0.64), at 6 months 0.61 (0.55 to 0.68) and 12 months 0.67 (0.62 to 0.74). Sensitivity analysis suggested a patient preference to avoid prescription medications did not explain the study findings.

There are more articles like this @ our:

NON-PHARMACOLOGIC THERAPY Section

(more…)

0