Psychological Characteristics of the Patients with Low Back Pain by Traffic and Industrial Accidents

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To survey characteristic patterns and speculate psychologic factors of the patients with low back pain associated with industrial injury or traffic accidents. METHOD: Nineteen low back pain patients after traffic (12 cases) or industrial (7 cases) accidents were compensation insurance status. 40 controls were low back pain patients without compensation insurance status. All had been evaluated with an electrodiagnostic study. Pain drawings and symptom check list for minor psychiatric disorder (SCL-MPD) were assessed to speculate the characteristics of the psychologic factors. RESULTS: In the electrodiagnostic study patients with compensation insurance status had segmental radiculopathy in5 cases (26.3%) and controls in 18 cases (45.5%). Pain drawings classified as Ransford scores were abnormal in 14 cases (73.7%) of the patients and in 9 cases (24.3%) of the controls. Visual inspection of the pain drawings classified as non-indicative were 12 cases (63.2%) of the patients and 13 cases (31.3%) of the controls. SCL-MPD showed higher somatization, depression and phobic-anxiety scores than the controls. CONCLUSION: Pain drawing and SCL-MPD are available for screening of the psychological factors and management for low back pain of compensation insurance stauts.