ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To identify a possible relationship between the non-surgical treatment regimen and outcome. METHODS: In a sample of 170 patients with sciatica due to a herniated disk the intensity of a conservative multimodal inpatient treatment in a neurological department was extracted. The outcome was examined using two prospective cohorts (183 patients). These results were compared with published data from orthopaedic inpatient rehabilitation in Germany. RESULTS: The neurological inpatient treatment regimen was more intense than the orthopaedic inpatient rehabilitation, especially with regard to physiotherapy. In contrast, physical therapy was applied more often in orthopaedic rehabilitation. A better short-term outcome with regard to pain intensity was found after multimodal conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are needed to compare different treatment regimens in patients with sciatica.
Subject(s)
Intervertebral Disc Displacement/rehabilitation , Lumbar Vertebrae , Radiculopathy/rehabilitation , Sciatica/rehabilitation , Cohort Studies , Combined Modality Therapy , Diskectomy , Evidence-Based Medicine , Humans , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Patient Admission , Physical Therapy Modalities , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In this summary, the preliminary results of studies evaluating medical therapy of radicular low back pain are reported. METHODS: In two prospective cohorts (183 patients) the conservative multimodal inpatient treatment was examined, using the newly developed "Radicular Low Back Pain Score" for the standardized measurement of the radiculopathy. In another sample of 116 patients the preceeding outpatient treatment was documented. RESULTS: A significant short-term improvement with regard to the pain intensity and the radiculopathy was observed after approximately two weeks of therapy. The preceeding outpatient treatment did not comply with recent guidelines. Moreover, it did not influence the outcome of the multimodal inpatient therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The "Radicular Low Back Pain Score" seems to be a suitable instrument for measuring therapy effectiveness. Multimodal medical treatment is an important treatment approach for sciatica, especially after failed outpatient therapy.
