Table 1 Baseline characteristics of all participants (n = 246)
From: Expectations, perceptions, and physiotherapy predict prolonged sick leave in subacute low back pain
| Continuous variables | Mean | SD | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 41.1 | 10.7 | 39 |
| Back pain intensity (1-10) | 6.8 | 2.0 | 7 |
| Pain during activity (1-9) | 5.7 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Pain while resting (1-9) | 4.1 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Roland Morris Questionnaire | 8.8 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Categorical variables | n | % | |
| Civil status | |||
| Married/cohabitant | 192 | 78 | |
| Single/widow/divorced | 53 | 21.5 | |
| Education | |||
| Public school 1-12 years | 181 | 73.6 | |
| University/Postgraduate college | 41 | 16.7 | |
| HSCL-25 | |||
| Psychological distress (>1.75) | 82 | 33.3 | |
| No psychological distress (<1.75) | 151 | 61.4 | |
| Perceived reduced ability to walk due to complaints | |||
| Inability to walk more than 1 km | 88 | 35.8 | |
| Able to walk more than 1 km | 131 | 53.3 | |
| Sleep problems due to pain: | |||
| Some, often or all the time | 193 | 78.5 | |
| Never or seldom | 48 | 19.5 | |
| Expectations regarding return to work: | |||
| Negative expectations | 140 | 56.9 | |
| Positive expectations | 93 | 37.8 | |
| Physiotherapy prior to participation in the trial: | |||
| Had received PT prior to the trial | 141 | 57.3 | |
| Had not received PT prior to the trial | 102 | 41.5 | |
| Perceived physical workload: | |||
| Constant back strain more than half of the time | 183 | 74.4 | |
| Constant back strain less than half of the time | 53 | 21.5 | |
| Previous sick leave episodes due to LBP: | |||
| One or none previous episodes | 107 | 43.5 | |
| Two or more previous episodes | 137 | 55.7 |