Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with low back pain with and without (control) Modic 1 changes on MRI
| Characteristics | Modic 1 patients N = 60 | Control patients N = 60 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Female patients, n (%) | 43/60 (72) | 43/60 (72) | |
| Age, years (SD) | 45 (±11) | 45 (±11) | |
| Physical work, n (%) | 24/56 (43) | 19/59 (32) | 0.25 |
| Sick leaves, n (%) | 11/60 (18) | 10/60 (17) | 0.81 |
| Duration of sick leaves week, median (IQR) | 22 (3–128) | 8 (4–10) | 0.49 |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| No. of years since the first episode, median (IQR) | 6 (4–18) | 4 (2–14) | 0.03 |
| No. of months since the flare-up pain, median (IQR) | 12 (7–33) | 12 (8–21) | 0.40 |
| Presence of a triggering factor, n (%) | 33/59 (56) | 27/59 (46) | 0.36 |
| Sciatica, n (%) | 33/58(57) | 36/56 (64) | 0.42 |
| Morning stiffness for >60 min, n (%) | 16/59 (27) | 8/59 (14) | 0.19 |
| Waking at night because of LBP, n (%) | 25/59 (42) | 15/57 (26) | 0.08 |
| Maximal pain intensity on waking up, n (%) | 28/60 (47) | 19/60 (32) | 0.09 |
| Inflammatory pain pattern, n (%) | 48/60 (80) | 33/60 (55) | 0.006 |
| DPQ impact on | |||
| Daily activities, mean (SD) | 62 (±18) | 55 (±19) | 0.053 |
| Work/leisure, mean (SD) | 53 (±28) | 53 (±26) | 0.88 |
| Anxiety/depression, mean (SD) | 35 (±28) | 38 (±27) | 0.56 |
| Social activities, mean (SD) | 29 (±27) | 31 (±23) | 0.38 |
| Physical examination | |||
| Back stiffness, n (%) | 36/56 (64) | 26/53 (49) | 0.12 |
| Scoliotic list, n (%) | 8/56 (14) | 8/56 (14) | 1.00 |
| Pain with lumbar flexion, n (%) | 32/58 (55) | 29/59 (54) | 0.87 |
| Pain with lumbar extension, n (%) | 47/59 (80) | 25/54 (46) | <0.005 |
| Lumbar pain on straight-leg-raising test, n (%) | 16/59 (27) | 15/53 (28) | 0.88 |
| Medications | |||
| NSAID prescription, n (%) | 44/50 (88) | 51/58 (88) | 1.00 |
| Good clinical response to NSAID, n (%) | 18/51 (35) | 14/43 (33) | 0.83 |
| Oral corticosteroid prescription, n (%) | 34/58 (59) | 15/50 (30) | 0.0037 |
| Good clinical response to oral corticosteroids, n (%) | 17/34 (50) | 1/15 (7) | 0.0039 |
Bold values indicate p < 0.05
IQR interquartile range, DPQ Dallas Pain Questionnaire (maximum score was 100, high score mean high impact), LBP low back pain, NSAID non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug