Table 1.
Comparison of patients’ demographic data, pain, physical examination, disability and fear-avoidance beliefs between the non-responder and responder groups
| Variable | All subjects (N = 129) | Non-responder (N = 104) | Responder (N = 25) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female gender (%) | 16.3 | 15.4 | 20.0 | 0.58 |
| Age (year) | 30.9 (±12) | 29.2 (±10.2) | 38.0 (±14.3) | 0.007* |
| Weight (kg) | 69.5 (±13.1) | 70.3 (±13.3) | 65.7 (11.7) | 0.113 |
| Height (m) | 171.1 (±6.9) | 171.2 (±7.0) | 171.0 (±6.7) | 0.921 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.7 (±3.9) | 24.0 (±4.0) | 22.4 (±3.5) | 0.080* |
| Smoking status (%) | ||||
| Smoker | 24.8 | 23.1 | 32.0 | 0.354 |
| Education level (%) | ||||
| High | 47.3 | 40 | 60 | 0.183 |
| Intermediate and below | 50.4 | 60 | 40 | 0.284 |
| Duration (weeks) | 39.7 (±82.4) | 39.3 (±77.6) | 41.4 (±101.9) | 0.908 |
| Mode of onset | ||||
| Gradual | 45.7 | 44.2 | 52 | 0.484 |
| Sudden | 38.0 | 36.5 | 44 | 0.490 |
| Traumatic | 16.3 | 19.2 | 4 | 0.064* |
| Pain below knee (%) | 35.7 | 39.4 | 20.0 | 0.069* |
| Prior history of LBP (%) | 69.0 | 73.1 | 52 | 0.041* |
| Episodes of LBP becoming frequent | 34.1 | 35.6 | 28 | 0.473 |
| Employment (%) | ||||
| Manual work | 56.6 | 66.4 | 24 | <0.001* |
| Deskbound work | 40.3 | 34.6 | 68.0 | 0.002* |
| Retiree | 2.3 | 0.10 | 8.0 | 0.036* |
| Use of Pain medication (%) | 50.4 | 52.9 | 40.0 | 0.247 |
| Sitting ranked as worse position (%) | 34.9 | 32.7 | 44.0 | 0.287 |
| Standing ranked as worse position(%) | 36.4 | 40.4 | 20.0 | 0.057* |
| Walking ranked as worse position(%) | 23.3 | 23.1 | 24.0 | 0.922 |
| All positions aggravate pain (%) | 5.4 | 3.8 | 12.0 | 0.106 |
| Sitting ranked as best position (%) | 38.0 | 42.3 | 20.0 | 0.039* |
| Standing ranked as best position (%) | 17.1 | 16.3 | 20.0 | 0.663 |
| Walking ranked as best position (%) | 20.2 | 19.2 | 24.0 | 0.594 |
| No position relieves pain (%) | 24.8 | 22.1 | 36.0 | 0.149 |
| Lumbar flexion (%) | ||||
| Thigh level | 6.2 | 5.8 | 8.0 | 0.678 |
| Patella level | 18.6 | 20.2 | 12.0 | 0.345 |
| Mid-shin level | 36.4 | 34.6 | 44.0 | 0.381 |
| Distal shin level | 38.8 | 39.4 | 36.0 | 0.752 |
| Left straight leg raise (°) | 64.9 (±19.1) | 63.6 (±20.0) | 70.4 (±14.5) | 0.109 |
| Right straight leg raise (°) | 66.8 (±18.5) | 65.3 (±19.0) | 73.0 (±14.8) | 0.060* |
| Absolute difference in straight leg raise (°) | 7.3 (±10.4) | 7.8 (±10.2) | 5.0 (±11.2) | 0.232 |
| Symptom centralization (%) | ||||
| Lumbar flexion | 57.4 | 57.7 | 56.0 | 0.878 |
| Lumbar extension | 24.0 | 23.1 | 28.0 | 0.605 |
| None | 18.6 | 19.2 | 16.0 | 0.709 |
| Hypomobility at one or more lumbar levels with spring testing (%) | 63.6 | 62.5 | 68.0 | 0.608 |
| Pain at one or more lumbar levels with spring testing (%) | 86.8 | 87.5 | 84.0 | 0.642 |
| Neurological deficit involvement (%) | 24.8 | 29.8 | 4.0 | 0.007* |
| Pain intensity (numeric rating scale) | 5.7 (±1.7) | 5.8 (±1.6) | 5.3 (±2.0) | 0.217 |
| Fear avoidance belief questionnaire | ||||
| Work subscale | 21.7 (±10.0) | 23.2 (±9.9) | 15.4 (±7.9) | <0.001* |
| Physical activity subscale | 18.0 (4.8) | 18.3 (±4.8) | 16.9 (±4.7) | 0.210 |
| Modified Oswestry disability index | 30.3 (±12.3) | 30.6 (±11.8) | 29.1 (±14.3) | 0.217 |
* Those variables passed the first-pass test at P value set at <0.1