Comparison of disability between risk classifications for poor prognosis in chronic lumbago: observational study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a syndrome that compromises individual functional capacity negatively. AIM: To verify whether there is a difference in the self-reported disability level among patients allocated into different risk strata to develop poor prognosis in CLBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a pilot, observational and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 17 volunteers with CLBP from a local University Physical Rehabilitation Center. Volunteers were asked to answer two questionnaires to assess both the level of disability and to determine the risk of poor prognosis. The level of disability was determined by the Brazilian Version of the Oswestry Functional Index (OFI). The risk for developing poor prognosis was determined by the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) questionnaire, based on the influence of psychosocial factors, and volunteers were classified as low (n=6), medium (n=6) or high (n=5) risk of poor prognosis. The statistical test used was the Generalized Linear Model (GLzM), with ?=0.05. RESULTS: The low-risk group presented minimal disability and the medium and high-risk groups presented severe disability, but there was a statistical difference in IFO only between the low and high-risk groups. CONCLUSION: There was a difference in disability between risk strata of poor prognosis, with disability significantly higher in the high-risk group compared to low risk, suggesting that psychosocial aspects impact not only on prognosis but also on the level of disability of patients with chronic low back pain.