Several factors were found to be associated with disability at follow-up for at least two different pain symptoms .
However , owing to insufficient studies , no generic risk factors for sick leave were identified .
Conclusions Multiple site pain , high pain severity , older age , baseline disability and longer pain duration were identified as potential prognostic factors for disability across pain sites .
There was limited evidence that anxiety and depression were associated with disability in patients with subacute pain , indicating that these factors may not play as large a role as expected in developing disability due to a pain condition .
Objective This systematic review aims to identify generic prognostic factors for disability and sick leave in subacute pain patients .
Outcome Determinants of Subacute Low Back Pain
Study Design . Descriptive prognostic study . Objectives . To identify outcome determinants of subacute low back pain . Summary of Background Data . The factors predicting recovery from prolonged back pain among working adults are largely unknown . Material s and Methods . One hundred sixty-four employed patients with subacute ( duration of pain 4–12 weeks ) daily low back pain were recruited from primary health care to a r and omized study . Data on potential predictive factors were collected before r and omization . In multiple regressions using repeated measures analysis , the treatment received was adjusted when determining the impact of the predictive factors . Dependent outcome variables used were pain , perceived functional disability , generic health-related quality of life , satisfaction with care , days on sick leave , use of health care , and costs of health care consumption measured , at 3- , 6- , and 12-month follow-ups . Results . Age and intensity of pain at baseline predicted most of the outcomes . The perceived risk of not recovering was a stronger determinant of outcome than gender , education , or self-rated health status ( which did not have any predictive value ) or body mass index , expectations of treatment effect , satisfaction with work , or the presence of radicular symptoms below the knee ( only slight predictive value ) . The only factors predicting the duration of sick leave were the duration of sick leave at baseline and the type of occupation . Conclusion . Age and intensity of pain are the strongest predictors of outcome . Accumulation of days on sick leave is predicted by the duration of sick leave at entry and the type of work , but not by pain , perceived disability , or satisfaction with work
Several factors were found to be associated with disability at follow-up for at least two different pain symptoms .
However , owing to insufficient studies , no generic risk factors for sick leave were identified .
Conclusions Multiple site pain , high pain severity , older age , baseline disability and longer pain duration were identified as potential prognostic factors for disability across pain sites .
There was limited evidence that anxiety and depression were associated with disability in patients with subacute pain , indicating that these factors may not play as large a role as expected in developing disability due to a pain condition .
Objective This systematic review aims to identify generic prognostic factors for disability and sick leave in subacute pain patients .