Table 2 Characteristics of patients in whom neck pain, arm pain and disability improved and did not improve
From: Predicting the evolution of neck pain episodes in routine clinical practice
Variables | Improvement of neckpain | Improvement of armpain | Improvement of disability | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No (n = 656) | Yes (n = 1716) | No (n = 567) | Yes (n = 1371) | No (n = 476) | Yes (n = 507) | |
Gender (female)a | 505 (77.0) | 1263 (73.6) | 435 (76.7) | 1053 (76.8) | 345 (72.5) | 360 (71.0) |
Age (years)b | 48.6 (17.9) | 50.9 (15.3) | 50.5 (15.7) | 51.6 (14.4) | 47.8 (18.7) | 48.3 (16.2) |
Employment statusa | ||||||
Not applicable | 374 (57.0) | 695 (40.5) | 267 (47.1) | 457 (33.3) | 314 (66.0) | 269 (53.1) |
Not working | 67 (10.2) | 101 (5.9) | 50 (8.8) | 77 (5.6) | 57 (12.0) | 49 (9.7) |
Working | 215 (32.8) | 920 (53.6) | 183 (32.3) | 664 (48.4) | 105 (22.1) | 189 (37.3) |
Duration of the pain episode (days) c | 180 (60; 365) | 180 (90; 365) | 180 (90; 365) | 240 (90; 365) | 90 (32.5; 195) | 120 (60; 365) |
Duration of the pain episode categorized (days) a | ||||||
Acute (< 90 days) | 259 (39.5) | 570 (33.2) | 175 (30.9) | 370 (27.0) | 236 (49.6) | 222 (43.8) |
Chronic (≥90 days) | 397 (60.5) | 1146 (66.8) | 392 (69.1) | 1001 (73.0) | 240 (50.4) | 285 (56.2) |
Time since first episode (years)a | ||||||
< 1 | 168 (25.6) | 339 (19.8) | 110 (19.4) | 245 (17.9) | 146 (30.7) | 144 (28.4) |
1–5 | 242 (36.9) | 571 (33.3) | 209 (36.9) | 470 (34.3) | 179 (37.6) | 169 (33.3) |
5–10 | 125 (19.1) | 409 (23.8) | 125 (22.1) | 336 (24.5) | 80 (16.8) | 90 (17.8) |
> 10 | 98 (14.9) | 346 (20.2) | 102 (18.0) | 278 (20.3) | 55 (11.6) | 73 (14.4) |
Baseline intensity of neck pain (VAS)b | 6.0 (2.4) | 6.7 (2.2) | 6.6 (2.1) | 7.1 (1.9) | 5.6 (2.3) | 6.1 (2.3) |
Baseline intensity of arm pain (VAS)b | 5.5 (2.5) | 6.1 (2.5) | 5.6 (2.4) | 6.5 (2.2) | 5.3 (2.5) | 5.4 (2.5) |
Baseline disability (NDI)b | 34.1 (20.5) | 37.0 (18.6) | 39.5 (20.0) | 41.8 (16.5) | 32.8 (19.0) | 38.4 (18.4) |
Diagnostic procedures during the episodea | ||||||
X-Ray | 122 (18.6) | 457 (26.6) | 118 (20.8) | 348 (25.4) | 80 (16.8) | 101 (19.9) |
MRI | 115 (17.5) | 364 (21.2) | 109 (19.2) | 285 (20.8) | 65 (13.7) | 110 (21.7) |
CT scan | 7 (1.1) | 29 (1.7) | 9 (1.6) | 19 (1.4) | 2 (0.4) | 7 (1.4) |
EMG | 15 (2.3) | 27 (1.6) | 17 (3.0) | 27 (2.0) | 14 (2.9) | 9 (1.8) |
Other | 36 (5.5) | 71 (4.1) | 39 (6.9) | 60 (4.4) | 29 (6.1) | 19 (3.8) |
Imaging findingsa | ||||||
Disc degeneration | 303 (46.2) | 659 (38.4) | 312 (55.0) | 602 (43.9) | 266 (55.9) | 294 (58.0) |
Facet joint degeneration | 73 (11.1) | 103 (6.0) | 74 (13.1) | 77 (5.6) | 68 (14.3) | 42 (8.3) |
Scoliosis | 25 (3.8) | 75 (4.4) | 24 (4.2) | 61 (4.5) | 21 (4.4) | 28 (5.5) |
Spinal stenosis | 12 (1.8) | 32 (1.9) | 16 (2.8) | 29 (2.1) | 11 (2.3) | 9 (1.8) |
Disc protrusion | 75 (11.4) | 95 (5.5) | 76 (13.4) | 115 (8.4) | 52 (10.9) | 40 (7.9) |
Disc herniation (extrusion) | 112 (17.1) | 234 (13.6) | 123 (21.7) | 245 (17.9) | 79 (16.6) | 117 (23.1) |
Other findings | 72 (11.0) | 201 (11.7) | 77 (13.6) | 168 (12.3) | 58 (12.2) | 99 (19.5) |
No findings | 131 (20.0) | 756 (44.1) | 116 (20.5) | 587 (42.8) | 14 (2.9) | 29 (5.7) |
Clinical diagnosis | ||||||
Spinal stenosis | 12 (1.8) | 32 (1.9) | 16 (2.8) | 29 (2.1) | 11 (2.3) | 9 (1.8) |
Disc protrusión/Herniation | 164 (25.0) | 285 (16.6) | 173 (30.5) | 302 (22.0) | 117 (24.6) | 143 (28.2) |
Nonspecific syndrome | 480 (73.2) | 1399 (81.5) | 378 (66.7) | 1040 (75.9) | 348 (73.1) | 355 (70.0) |
Treatments | ||||||
Analgesics | 419 (63.9) | 1139 (66.4) | 391 (69.0) | 959 (70.0) | 339 (71.2) | 353 (69.6) |
NSAIDs | 387 (59.0) | 1062 (61.9) | 352 (62.1) | 888 (64.8) | 310 (65.1) | 347 (68.4) |
Steroids | 60 (9.2) | 98 (5.7) | 53 (11.1) | 42 (8.3) | ||
Muscle relaxants | 170 (25.9) | 438 (25.5) | 147 (25.9) | 347 (25.3) | 142 (29.8) | 170 (33.5) |
Opioids | 11 (1.7) | 22 (1.3) | 10 (1.8) | 24 (1.8) | 14 (2.9) | 15 (3.0) |
Other | 145 (22.1) | 362 (21.1) | 143 (25.2) | 290 (21.2) | 148 (31.1) | 182 (35.9) |
Non pharmacological treatments | ||||||
Physical therapy | 38 (5.8) | 100 (5.8) | 33 (5.8) | 72 (5.3) | 24 (5.0) | 28 (5.5) |
Rehabilitation | 84 (12.8) | 172 (10.0) | 76 (13.4) | 164 (12.0) | 74 (15.6) | 64 (12.6) |
Neuro-reflexotherapy | 428 (65.2) | 1574 (91.7) | 419 (73.9) | 1332 (97.2) | 252 (52.9) | 379 (74.8) |
Surgery | 3 (0.5) | 3 (0.2) | 2 (0.4) | 3 (0.2) | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) |
Other treatments | ||||||
Rhizolysis | 1 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 1 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 2 (0.4) | 1 (0.2) |
Epidural injections | 2 (0.3) | 9 (0.5) | 2 (0.4) | 8 (0.6) | 3 (0.6) | 4 (0.8) |
Referral to pain unit | 7 (1.1) | 4 (0.2) | 7 (1.3) | 4 (0.3) | 9 (1.9) | 2 (0.4) |
Othertreatmentsd | 3 (0.5) | 17 (1.0) | 5 (0.9) | 11 (0.8) | 4 (0.8) | 7 (1.4) |