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 .
Factors predicting radical treatment after in-hospital conservative management of disk-related sciatica.
OBJECTIVE To determine predictive factors for radical treatment ( nucleolysis or surgery ) after in-hospital conservative management of low back pain with sciatica ( LBPS ) . PATIENTS AND METHODS A st and ardized form was used to collect data on 134 patients admitted for conservative treatment of LBPS . Subsequent radical procedures were recorded 11 to 24 months after discharge . RESULTS Forty-seven patients required radical treatment after discharge . Significant risk factors for radical treatment in the univariate analysis were taller stature , use of a lumbar support , more preadmission epidural injections , a positive straight leg-raising test , and a disk herniation diameter of at least 50 % of the spinal canal diameter . Protective factors were onset within the month preceding admission and normal range of motion of the lumbar spine . In the multivariate analysis , symptom duration longer than one month , use of a lumbar support prior to admission , and a positive straight leg-raising test were associated with radical treatment . A positive straight leg-raising test was the only significant clinical risk factor in the subset of patients investigated by computed tomography ( CT ) . When CT findings were added to the model , only size of the herniation was significant . CONCLUSION Sixty-five percent of patients admitted for conservative treatment of LBPS do not receive radical treatment during a mean follow-up of 18 months . Several factors are associated with the likelihood of radical treatment
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 .