RESUMO
Back pain screening clinics are established to clinically screen patients with back pain for organic lumbar pathology. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between clinical signs of organic pathology and the level of disability as measured by functional outcome scores. Sixty-nine patients who were found to have clinical signs of organic pathology and 69 age- and sex-matched patients from 512 patients who were found to have no signs of organic pathology in the same time period in the back pain screening clinic were selected. The Oswestry Disability, Short Form-36, and visual analogue (pain) scores between the two groups were statistically analyzed. We found a significant increase in the level of disability in the group with organic pathology; however, the variation in the scores makes them unspecific for use in screening of acute spinal pathology. We also found a strong relationship between psychologic disability and length of symptoms.
Assuntos
Avaliação da Deficiência , Dor Lombar/diagnóstico , Dor Lombar/etiologia , Doenças da Medula Espinal/complicações , Doenças da Medula Espinal/diagnóstico , Atividades Cotidianas , Adulto , Idoso , Ansiedade/diagnóstico , Ansiedade/etiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Dor Lombar/psicologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Medição da Dor/métodos , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Doenças da Medula Espinal/psicologia , Estatística como Assunto , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Acute low back pain is a common complaint with high prevalence in society. Orthopaedic and specialist spinal services may be overwhelmed by large numbers of patients with low back pain who do not require investigation or surgical intervention. This phenomenon has led to the establishment of back pain screening clinics as a system of triage for those with acute low back pain. In March 2001, a back pain screening clinic was established in the Adelaide and Meath Hospitals incorporating the National Children's hospital. Six hundred and sixty-five patients were seen in the first year of this clinic. Of these, only ninety-six required referral to the orthopaedic spinal clinic. Just twenty-nine of these patients required surgical intervention. The introduction of this service resulted in a reduction in the waiting periods for the specialised spine clinic. We conclude that back pain screening clinics result in a clinical and economical improvement in the care of those suffering from acute low back pain. This is achieved by the systematic and efficient assessment, treatment and referral of patients afflicted with acute low back pain.
