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Do number of days with low back pain and patterns of episodes of pain have similar outcomes in a biopsychosocial prediction model?

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Abstract

Purposes

We used two different methods to classify low back pain (LBP) in the general population (1) to assess the overlapping of individuals within the different subgroups in those two classifications, (2) to explore if the associations between LBP and some selected bio-psychosocial factors are similar, regardless which of the two classifications is used.

Method

During 1 year, 49- or 50-year-old people from the Danish general population were sent fortnightly automated text messages (SMS-Track) asking them if they had any LBP in the past fortnight. Responses for the whole year were then classified into two different ways: (1) In relation to the number of days with LBP in the preceding year (0, 1–30, and >30), (2) In relation to the frequency and duration of episodes of LBP (more or less never pain, episodic, and more or less constant pain). Some bio-psychosocial factors, collected with a questionnaire at baseline 9 years earlier, were entered into regression models to investigate their associations with the subgroups of the two classifications of LBP and the results compared.

Results

The percentage of agreement between categories of the two classification systems was above 68 % (Kappa 0.7). Despite the large overlap of persons in the two classification groups, the patterns of associations with the two types of LBP definitions were different in the two classification groups. However, none of the estimates were significantly different when the variables were compared across the two classifications.

Conclusion

Different classification systems of LBP are capable of bringing forth different findings. This may help explain the lack of consistency between studies on risk factors of LBP.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Professor Tom Bendix for his role in designing the original study and securing primary funding (Industrial Insurance Company, now topdanmark). We also thank The Spine Centre of Southern Denmark for hosting the entire project and, in particular, for making the third data collection possible by supplying secretarial support and providing imaging of the participant. Professor Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde was partially funded for her Danish position, until December 31st, 2012, by Fonden til Fremme for Kiropraktisk Forskning og Postgraduat Uddannelse. Thank you to Laura Davies for her help with the English language.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Complexité, Innovation et Activités Motrices et Sportives, UFR STAPS, Université d’Orsay Paris Sud 11, Bâtiment 335, 91405, Orsay Cédex, France

    N. Lemeunier, C. Leboeuf-Yde & O. Gagey

  2. Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie, 72 Chemin de la Flambère, 31300, Toulouse, France

    N. Lemeunier

  3. Research Department, Spine Center of Southern Denmark, Hospital Lillebaelt, Institute of Regional Health Services, University of Southern Denmark, Ostre Hougvej 55, 5500, Middelfart, Denmark

    C. Leboeuf-Yde & P. Kjaer

  4. Bicêtre University Hospital, AH-HP Paris, 94270, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France

    O. Gagey

  5. Orthopedic Department, Sport Medicine Clinic, Hospital of Lillebaelt, Institute of Regional Health Service Research and Center for Research in Childhood Health, University of Southern Denmark, Ostre Hougvej 55, 5500, Middelfart, Denmark

    N. Wedderkopp

  6. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark

    P. Kjaer

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  1. N. Lemeunier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Lemeunier.

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Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 7, 8, and 9.

Table 7 Bivariate analyses of both classifications: Duration classification (0 days as reference) and episodic classification (more or less never as reference) with various bio-psychosocial factors in a study of 261 participants at age 49/50
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Table 8 Multivariate analyses of both classifications: duration classification (0 days as reference) and episodic classification (more or less never as reference) with various bio-psychosocial factors in a study of 261 participants at age 49/50
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Table 9 Comparison of results of the multivariate analyses between two classifications of low back pain in a study of 261 participants at age 49/50
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Lemeunier, N., Leboeuf-Yde, C., Gagey, O. et al. Do number of days with low back pain and patterns of episodes of pain have similar outcomes in a biopsychosocial prediction model?. Eur Spine J 25, 2774–2787 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-016-4531-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-016-4531-3

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