Table 1.
Characteristics of localised and non-localised low back pain
| Characteristic | Localised low back pain (n = 609) | Non-localised low back pain (n = 3,820) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | (95%CI) | N | % | (95%CI) | |
| Sciatica in past month | 183 | 30.0 | (26.4,33.9) | 1,836 | 48.1 | (46.5,49.7) |
| Sciatica in past 12 months | 233 | 38.3 | (34.4,42.3) | 2,238 | 58.6 | (57.0,60.2) |
| Total duration in past month | ||||||
| 1–6 days | 369 | 60.6 | (56.6,64.5) | 2,067 | 54.1 | (52.5,55.7) |
| 1–2 weeks | 123 | 20.2 | (17.1,23.6) | 783 | 20.5 | (19.2,21.8) |
| >2 weeks | 112 | 18.4 | (15.4,21.7) | 947 | 24.8 | (23.4,26.2) |
| Not known | 5 | 0.8 | 23 | 0.6 | ||
| Total duration in past 12 months | ||||||
| 1–6 days | 180 | 29.6 | (26.0,33.4) | 740 | 19.4 | (18.1,20.7) |
| 1–4 weeks | 263 | 43.2 | (39.2,47.2) | 1,661 | 43.5 | (41.9,45.1) |
| 1–12 months | 162 | 26.6 | (23.1,30.3) | 1,403 | 36.7 | (35.2,38.3) |
| Not known | 4 | 0.7 | 16 | 0.4 | ||
| Disabling in past month | 288 | 47.3 | (43.3,51.3) | 2,447 | 64.1 | (62.5,65.6) |
| Led to medical consultation in past 12 months | 255 | 41.9 | (37.9,45.9) | 1,974 | 51.7 | (50.1,53.3) |
| Attributed sickness absence in past 12 months (days) | ||||||
| 0 | 475 | 78.0 | (74.4,81.2) | 2,707 | 70.9 | (69.4,72.3) |
| 1–5 | 83 | 13.6 | (11.0,16.6) | 674 | 17.6 | (16.4,18.9) |
| 6–30 | 29 | 4.8 | (3.2,6.8) | 238 | 6.2 | (5.5,7.0) |
| >30 | 10 | 1.6 | (0.8,3.0) | 85 | 2.2 | (1.8,2.7) |
| Not known | 12 | 2.0 | 116 | 3.0 | ||
| Onset of most recent episode | ||||||
| Sudden while at work | 167 | 27.4 | (23.9,31.2) | 1,176 | 30.8 | (29.3,32.3) |
| Sudden not while at work | 110 | 18.1 | (15.1,21.4) | 530 | 13.9 | (12.8,15.0) |
| Gradual | 318 | 52.2 | (48.2,56.2) | 2,015 | 52.7 | (51.2,54.3) |
| Not known | 14 | 2.3 | 99 | 2.6 | ||