Table 5.
Clinical descriptors of study sample
| Variable | Frequency (%) |
|---|---|
| Back pain duration | |
| 0–6 months | 15/114 (13.2) |
| 7–12 months | 5/114 (4.4) |
| 13–24 months | 8/114 (7.0) |
| >24 months | 86/114 (74.8) |
| Back pain, current episode | |
| 0–6 months | 46/115 (40.0) |
| 7–12 months | 19/115 (16.5) |
| 13–24 months | 18/115 (15.7) |
| >24 months | 32/115 (27.8) |
| Past treatment: | |
| Medication | 75/115 (65.2) |
| Massage therapy | 72/115 (62.6) |
| Chiropractic | 69/115 (60.0) |
| Physiotherapy | 63/115 (54.8) |
| Exercise therapy | 39/115 (33.9) |
| Acupuncture | 30/115 (26.1) |
| Surgery | 4/115 (3.5) |
| Radiating leg symptoms | |
| Absent | 16/115 (13.9) |
| Above knee | 31/115 (27.0) |
| Below knee | 68/115 (59.1) |
| Diagnosisa | |
| Problem in back | 108/115 (93.9) |
| Medical | 11/115 (9.6) |
| Mechanical/degenerative other body part | 5/115 (4.3) |
| Spinal cord/cauda equine | 5/115 (4.3) |
| Back pain triage | |
| Nerve root problem | 54/115 (47.0) |
| Nonspecific/mechanical spine | 48/115 (41.7) |
| Serious spinal pathology | 8/115 (7.0) |
| Not spine related | 5/115 (4.3) |
| Nerve root source | |
| None | 52/115 (45.2) |
| Stenotic | 35/115 (30.4) |
| Discogenic | 28/115 (24.3) |
| Treatment recommendations | |
| Referral to surgeon (any) | 23/115 (20.0) |
| Urgent referral to surgeon | 16/115 (13.9) |
| Surgeon referral + PT treatment | 6/115 (5.2) |
| Emergency referral to surgeon | 1/115 (.9) |
| Referral to another specialistb | 11/115 (9.6) |
| PT Treatment (any) | 73/115 (63.5) |
| PT Treatment (only) | 67/115 (58.3) |
| Imaging and diagnostic testsa | |
| Any imaging or other diagnostic testsc | 38/115 (33.0) |
| Advanced imaging (ie, CT, MRI) | 31/115 (27.0) |
| X-rays | 8/115 (7.0) |
| No further follow-up | 2/115 (1.7) |
| Otherd | 7/115 (6.1) |
a
Notes: Categories are not mutually exclusive;
b
type of specialist: vascular, neurologist, pain management physician, urogynecologist, rheumatologist;
c
includes X-ray, CT, MRI, blood work, bone scan.
d
Includes functional testing, chiropractic treatment.
Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.