Table 3.
Effect of severity and periodicity of pain on consultation for low back pain according to duration of episode
| Category | Pain ⩽2 weeks
|
Pain >3 months
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No (%) consulting | No (%) not consulting | No (%) consulting | No (%) not consulting | ||
| Worst pain: | |||||
| < Median | 40 (20) | 158 (80) | 36 (65) | 19 (35) | |
| > Median | 43 (48) | 46 (52) | 70 (79) | 19 (21) | |
| Total | 83 (29) | 204 (71) | 106 (73) | 38 (27) | |
| Periodicity: | |||||
| Constant or intermittent | 40 (39) | 63 (61) | 101 (74) | 36 (26) | |
| Occasional or rare | 43 (23) | 140 (77) | 3 (50) | 3 (50) | |
| Total | 83 (29) | 203 (71) | 104 (73) | 39 (27) | |