• Ryan Loyd, Gilbert J Fanciullo, Brett Hanscom, and John C Baird.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA.
• Pain Med. 2006 May 1; 7 (3): 229-36.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether grouping of patients with back pain into similar behavioral patient profiles using SF-36 scores is predictive of outcome following 1-year treatment in a multidisciplinary spine center beginning with referral for epidural steroid injection.DesignA prospective observational study was conducted on 81 consecutive patients selected for epidural steroid injections by independent physicians following common institutional criteria. Each patient completed a baseline SF-36 questionnaire as well as a numerical response pain scale. The initial SF-36 data were used to place each patient into one of three subgroups (Highly Functional, Emotional Adapters, and Dysfunctional). Follow-up SF-36 and numerical response pain scale questionnaires were completed by the patients at 1 month and 12 months following the initial epidural steroid injection.ResultsResults revealed significant improvement among all three patient subgroups following multidisciplinary treatment at both 1 month and 12 months. Few differences in outcome occurred among the subgroups.ConclusionThe SF-36-determined subgroups did not predict response to a multidisciplinary pain clinic. All three subgroups showed similar improvement following treatment.

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