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. 2012 Jun 14;3:9–19. doi: 10.2147/PROM.S31657

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)
  Chiropratic 69/115 (60.0)
  Physiotherapy 63/115 (54.8)
  Exercise therapy 39/115 (33.9)
  Acupunture 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 equina 5/115 (4.3)
Back pain triage
  Nerve root problem 54/115 (47.0)
  Serious spine 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 (0.9)
  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
Otherd 7/115 (6.1)

Notes:

a

Categories are not mutually exclusive;

b

type of specialists: 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; PT, physiotherapist.