Table 2.
Veteran Pain Severity, Frequency, Duration, Source, and Interference (N = 228)
| Question | Overall N = 228 | Ann Arbor N = 54 | Indianapolis N = 42 | Palo Alto N = 44 | San Diego N = 34 | West Haven N = 54 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency of low back pain, n (%) | ||||||
| Never | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 |
| Some days | 34 (15) | 10 (19) | 5 (12) | 5 (11) | 2 (6) | 12 (23) |
| Most days | 58 (26) | 13 (25) | 10 (24) | 14 (32) | 9 (26) | 12 (23) |
| Everyday | 132 (59) | 30 (57) | 26 (62) | 24 (55) | 23 (68) | 29 (55) |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Duration of low back pain, n (%) | ||||||
| Less than 1 year | 14 (6) | 3 (6) | 2 (5) | 2 (5) | 1 (3) | 6 (12) |
| 1–4 years | 33 (15) | 7 (13) | 7 (18) | 2 (5) | 8 (25) | 9 (18) |
| 5 years or more | 171 (78) | 42 (81) | 31 (78) | 39 (91) | 23 (72) | 36 (71) |
| Missing | 10 (4) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Source of low back pain, n (%) | ||||||
| Multiple sources | 104 (48) | 27 (52) | 21 (53) | 19 (49) | 16 (50) | 21 (40) |
| Trauma | 68 (31) | 10 (19) | 15 (38) | 16 (41) | 15 (47) | 12 (23) |
| Trauma only | 21 (10) | 3 (6) | 4 (10) | 5 (13) | 3 (9) | 6 (11) |
| Spinal stenosis | 38 (18) | 10 (19) | 6 (15) | 8 (21) | 4 (13) | 10 (19) |
| Spinal stenosis only | 5 (2) | 1 (2) | 1 (3) | 0 | 1 (3) | 2 (4) |
| Disk problem | 94 (44) | 27 (52) | 19 (48) | 17 (44) | 13 (41) | 18 (34) |
| Disk problem only | 21 (10) | 4 (8) | 5 (13) | 3 (8) | 3 (9) | 6 (11) |
| Arthritis | 92 (43) | 25 (48) | 17 (43) | 17 (44) | 11 (34) | 22 (42) |
| Arthritis only | 16 (7) | 3 (6) | 3 (8) | 3 (8) | 2 (5) | 5 (9) |
| Unknown | 37 (17) | 11 (21) | 4 (10) | 8 (21) | 5 (16) | 9 (17) |
| Unknown only | 30 (14) | 10 (19) | 3 (8) | 7 (18) | 4 (13) | 6 (11) |
| Other | 38 (18) | 9 (17) | 9 (23) | 5 (13) | 5 (16) | 10 (19) |
| Other only | 19 (9) | 4 (8) | 3 (8) | 2 (5) | 3 (9) | 7 (2) |
| Missing | 12 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Pain travels to legs, n (%) | ||||||
| Both | 78 (34) | 15 (28) | 20 (48) | 19 (43) | 9 (26) | 15 (28) |
| One | 75 (33) | 17 (31) | 12 (29) | 14 (32) | 17 (50) | 15 (28) |
| Neither | 60 (26) | 19 (35) | 9 (21) | 9 (20) | 7 (21) | 16 (30) |
| Missing | 15 (7) | 3 (6) | 1 (2) | 2 (5) | 1 (3) | 8 (15) |
| PEG score, scale 0–10 | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 5.9 (2.5) | 5.8 (2.5) | 6.2 (2.6) | 6.3 (2.4) | 6.5 (2.2) | 5.1 (2.5) |
| Average pain intensity in the past week, scale 0–10 | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 6.0 (2.2) | 5.8 (2.3) | 6.1 (2.2) | 6.5 (2.1) | 6.1 (2.1) | 5.7 (2.4) |
| Median | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pain interference with day-to-day activities in the past week, scale 0–10 | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 5.8 (2.9) | 5.9 (2.9) | 6.0 (3.1) | 6.0 (2.8) | 6.7 (2.5) | 4.6 (2.7) |
| Median | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 5 |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pain interference with enjoyment of life in the past week, scale 0–10 | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 6.0 (2.9) | 5.8 (3.0) | 6.4 (3.1) | 6.5 (2.8) | 6.5 (2.4) | 5.0 (3.0) |
| Median | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |