Conclusions For most clinical tests in LBP there is not consistent evidence for an association with outcome .
Central ization and non-organic signs are exceptions from that .
Background There is a strong tradition of performing a clinical examination of low back pain ( LBP ) patients and this is generally recommended in guidelines .
However , establishing a pathoanatomic diagnosis does not seem possible in most LBP patients and clinical tests may potentially be more relevant as prognostic factors .
The aim of this review of the literature was to systematic ally assess the association between low-tech clinical tests commonly used in adult patients with acute , recurrent or chronic LBP and short- and long-term outcome .
The nordic back pain subpopulation program: demographic and clinical predictors for outcome in patients receiving chiropractic treatment for persistent low back pain.
OBJECTIVE To identify demographic and clinic-related predictors for successful outcome in patients with persistent low-back pain who received chiropractic treatment .  DESIGN Prospect i ve uncontrolled multicenter study with internal control groups . SUBJECTS Each of 115 Norwegian chiropractors , out of 205 invited , were asked to recruit 10 consecutive patients who had low-back pain for at least 2 weeks at the time of consultation and a minimum of 30 days altogether within the preceding year . In all , 875 patients were included at baseline . The response rates at the fourth visit and at 3 and 12 months were 799 , 598 , and 512 , respectively . METHODS Baseline data were obtained through question naires administered to chiropractic patients and to their treating chiropractors ; clinical information was obtained through question naires at the fourth visit from patients and chiropractors . Outcome was obtained from patients at the fourth visit . Mail surveys of patients were conducted after 3 and 12 months , and additional information was obtained from chiropractors at 12 months in relation to treatment history . POTENTIAL PREDICTORS : Demography and information on past and present history , clinical findings , and prognosis . OUTCOME VARIABLE Number of low-back pain"free patients  ( defined as those with a maximum pain score of 1/10 and a maximum Oswestry score of 15/100 ) . DATA ANALYSIS Positive predictive values and relative risks were calculated for each categorized predictor variable singly and in combination in relation to being low-back pain free at the 3 follow-up surveys . RESULTS Treatment outcome at the fourth visit was best predicted by a model containing the following 5 variables : sex , social benefit , severity of pain , duration of continuous pain at first consultation , and additional neck pain ( odds ratios between 2.2 and 4.3 ) . A similar profile was found at 3 months , but 2 different variables ( relating to disability ) were the final variables in relation to the 12-month status . These final models were best at predicting absence of treatment success . Being low-back pain free at the fourth visit was a strong predictor for being low-back pain free both at 3 months and 12 months , with relative risks of 3.0 ( 2.2 - 4.8 ) and 3.1 ( 1.5 - 6.5 ) , respectively . CONCLUSION In patients with persistent low-back pain , it is possible to exclude from treatment those who are unlikely to become low-back pain free after chiropractic care and to do this before they have been examined clinical ly . Early recovery is a strong predictor for outcome up to 1 year later
Conclusions For most clinical tests in LBP there is not consistent evidence for an association with outcome .
Central ization and non-organic signs are exceptions from that .
Background There is a strong tradition of performing a clinical examination of low back pain ( LBP ) patients and this is generally recommended in guidelines .
However , establishing a pathoanatomic diagnosis does not seem possible in most LBP patients and clinical tests may potentially be more relevant as prognostic factors .
The aim of this review of the literature was to systematic ally assess the association between low-tech clinical tests commonly used in adult patients with acute , recurrent or chronic LBP and short- and long-term outcome .