The ODI remains a valid and vigorous measure and has been a worthwhile outcome measure .
The behavior of the instrument is incompletely understood , particularly in sensitivity to real change .
The Oswestry Disability Index ( ODI ) has become one of the principal condition-specific outcome measures used in the management of spinal disorders .
To review the versions of this instrument , document methods by which it has been vali date d , collate data from scores found in normal and back pain population s , provide curves for power calculations in studies using the ODI , and maintain the ODI as a gold st and ard outcome measure .
It has now been 20 years since its original publication .
One‐Year Follow‐up Comparison of the Cost and Effectiveness of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy as Primary Management for Back Pain: Subgroup Analysis, Recurrence, and Additional Health Care Utilization
Study Design . A r and omized trial was conducted in which patients with back and neck pain , visiting a general practitioner , were allocated to chiropractic or physiotherapy . Objectives . To compare outcome and costs of chiropractic and physiotherapy as primary treatment for patients with back and neck pain , with special reference to subgroups , recurrence rate , and additional health care use at follow‐up evaluation 12 months after treatment . Summary of Background Data . Earlier studies on the effect of spinal manipulation have shown inconsistent results . Mostly they include only short‐term follow‐up periods , and few cost‐effectiveness analyses have been made . Methods . A group of 323 patients aged 18‐60 years who had no contraindications to manipulation and who had not been treated within the previous month were included . Outcome measures were changes in Oswestry scores , pain intensity , and general health ; recurrence rate ; and direct and indirect costs . Results . No differences were detected in health improvement , costs , or recurrence rate between the two groups . According to Oswestry score , chiropractic was more favorable for patients with a current pain episode of less than 1 week ( 5 % ) and physiotherapy for patients with a current pain episode of greater than 1 month ( 6.8 % ) . Nearly 60 % of the patients reported two or more recurrences . More patients in the chiropractic group ( 59 % ) than in the physiotherapy group ( 41 % ) sought additional health care . Costs varied considerably among individuals and subgroups ; the direct costs were lower for physiotherapy in a few subgroups . Conclusions . Effectiveness and costs of chiropractic or physiotherapy as primary treatment were similar for the total population , but some differences were seen according to subgroups . Back problems often recurred , and additional health care was common . Implication s of the result are that treatment policy and clinical decision models must consider subgroups and that the problem often is recurrent . Models must be implemented and tested
The ODI remains a valid and vigorous measure and has been a worthwhile outcome measure .
The behavior of the instrument is incompletely understood , particularly in sensitivity to real change .
The Oswestry Disability Index ( ODI ) has become one of the principal condition-specific outcome measures used in the management of spinal disorders .
To review the versions of this instrument , document methods by which it has been vali date d , collate data from scores found in normal and back pain population s , provide curves for power calculations in studies using the ODI , and maintain the ODI as a gold st and ard outcome measure .
It has now been 20 years since its original publication .