Table 3.
Characterization of the three clusters of CLBP patients (n = 634)
| Cluster 1 | Cluster 2 | Cluster 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| |
n = 179 |
n = 200 |
n = 255 |
| (28.2%) |
(31.5%) |
(40.2%) |
|
|
Age [years: mean (SD)] |
68.2 (8.6) |
57.8 (13.1) |
46.8 (10.3) |
|
Persons at household [mean (SD)] |
2.1 (0.9) |
2.2 (0.1) |
2.9 (1.2) |
|
Employment status [no. (%)] |
|
|
|
| - Working (full or part-time) |
12 (6.8) |
88 (44.2) |
222 (87.1) |
|
Reasons for not working [no. (%)] |
|
|
|
| - Keeping house |
11 (6.7) |
20 (17.7) |
19 (57.9) |
| - Unemployed# |
6 (3.7) |
10 (8.8) |
11 (33.3) |
| - Retired |
146 (89.6) |
82 (72.6) |
1 (3.0) |
| - Other |
0 (0) |
1 (0.9) |
2 (6.1) |
|
Days on sick leave of the employed participants [mean (SD)] |
81.4 (14.4) |
20.9 (26.7) |
4.8 (8.2) |
|
Degree of disability [no. (%)] |
|
|
|
| - Yes |
96 (58.2) |
113 (59.2) |
46 (18.6) |
|
Number of pain areas [mean (SD)] |
3.9 (2.3) |
4.4 (2.2) |
3.7 (2.2) |
|
Index of the graded chronic pain (von Korff) [no (%)] |
|
|
|
| - 0 |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
| - 1 |
23 (14.5) |
15 (8.1) |
44 (18.0) |
| - 2 |
32 (20.1) |
24 (13.0) |
91 (37.1) |
| - 3 |
51 (32.1) |
58 (31.4) |
69 (28.2) |
| - 4 |
53 (33.3) |
88 (47.6) |
41 (16.7) |
|
Symptom check-list-90-R (Somatization) [mean (SD)] |
|
|
|
| |
11.1 (6.9) |
14.4 (7.2) |
8.8 (5.0) |
|
Self-administered comorbidity questionnaire (SACQ) [no (%)] |
|
|
|
| - Psychological comorbidities* |
23 (19.5) |
67 (44.4) |
35 (15.2) |
| - Musculoskeletal comorbidities** |
89 (75.4) |
87 (57.6) |
56 (24.3) |
| - Other comorbidities*** |
107 (90.7) |
117 (77.5) |
125 (54.3) |
|
Brief resilience scale (RS-11) [mean (SD)] |
61.3 (11.9) |
47.3 (13.6) |
63.2 (8.7) |
|
Hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) [mean (SD)] |
|
|
|
| - Anxiety |
6.6 (3.4) |
10.5 (4.1) |
7.0 (3.3) |
| - Depression |
7.4 (2.6) |
10.9 (2.9) |
6.8 (2.4) |
|
Coping resources of back pain (FBR) [mean (SD)] |
|
|
|
| - Emotional social support |
13.9 (5.0) |
6.5 (4.6) |
11.6 (5.2) |
| - Practical help |
13.5 (5.5) |
7.5 (4.8) |
13.2 (5.1) |
| - Exercise and relaxation |
14.2 (4.4) |
8.2 (4.2) |
13.1 (4.7) |
| - Hobby and enjoyment |
16.0 (3.6) |
8.0 (4.4) |
14.7 (4.0) |
| - Cognitive strategies |
15.7 (3.9) |
7.8 (4.3) |
14.1 (4.5) |
| - Knowledge |
7.0 (2.6) |
4.1 (2.5) |
6.9 (2.4) |
| - Spirituality |
6.2 (3.3) |
2.5 (2.8) |
3.8 (3.5) |
|
Gut feeling: Will the pain get away? [no (%)] |
|
|
|
| - Yes |
90 (50.3) |
73 (36.5) |
40 (15.7) |
|
Number of different therapeutic strategies [mean (SD)] |
7.1 (3.8) |
6.6 (3.9) |
5.0 (3.4) |
|
Number of consultations because of back pain / 6 months [mean (SD)] |
5.7 (5.9) |
6.1 (7.2) |
3.6 (4.2) |
| Number of operations because of back pain [mean (SD)] | 0.3 (0.8) | 0.5 (1.4) | 0.1 (0.3) |
*Participants with the comorbidities depression and/or other psychiatric diseases.
**Participants with the comorbidities degenerative arthritis and/or rheumatoid arthritis and/or osteoporosis.
***Participants with the comorbidities high blood pressure and/or heart diseases and/or asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and/or ulcer/stomach diseases and/or diabetes and/or high blood lipid level and/or kidney diseases and/or cancer diseases.
#Proportion of unemployment among persons who are not working and are in an employable age (≤ 65 years): Cluster 1: 15.4%; Cluster 2: 20.0%; Cluster 3: 36.7%.