Is the presence of Modic changes associated with the outcomes of different treatments? A systematic critical review

Table 3 Association between type of MCs at baseline and the outcome in pain and disability

Type of treatment and subgroups	Outcome measures	Association at follow-up (months)
		1	3-6	12-24
Epidural steroid injections [25]	Pain (VAS)		-	-
MCs type I vs. type II, III and non-MCs	Disability (ODI)		+	-
Intradiscal steroid injections [25]	Pain (VAS)		+	-
MCs type I vs. type II, III and non-MCs	Disability (ODI)		+	+
Intradiscal steroid injections [28]	Pain (VAS)	+	-
MCs type I vs. type II	Disability(QDS)	-	-
Disc replacement [27]	Pain (VAS)	-	-	-
MCs vs. non-MCs	Disability (ODI)	-	-	-
Fusion surgery [26]	Pain (VAS)			+
MCs type I vs. type II and non MCs	Disability (JOA)			+
Exercise therapy [24]	Pain (VAS)		-	-
MCs vs. non-MCs	Disability (RM)		-	-

The reported association between type of MCs at baseline and the outcome in pain and disability at 1, 3-6 and 12-24 months follow-up. +: positive association, -: no association, ODI: Oswestry disability index, QDS: Quebec disability score, JOA: Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, RM: Roland Morris Questionnaire, VAS: Visual Analogue Scale.

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