Articles: back-pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
How good is the neurophysiology of pain questionnaire? A Rasch analysis of psychometric properties.
The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) was devised to assess how an individual conceptualizes the biological mechanisms that underpin his or her pain. Despite its widespread use, its psychometric properties have not been comprehensively interrogated. Rasch analysis was undertaken on NPQ data from a convenience sample of 300 spinal pain patients, and test-retest reliability was assessed in a sample of 45 low back pain patients. The NPQ effectively targeted the ability of the sample and had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. However, some items functioned erratically for persons of differing abilities or were psychometrically redundant. The NPQ was reanalyzed with 7 questionable items excluded, and superior psychometric properties were observed. These findings suggest that the NPQ could be improved, but future prospective studies including qualitative measures are needed. In summary, the NPQ is a useful tool for assessing a patient's conceptualization of the biological mechanisms that underpin his or her pain and for evaluating the effects of cognitive interventions in clinical practice and research. These findings suggest that it has adequate psychometric properties for use with chronic spinal pain patients. ⋯ Rasch analysis was used to analyze the NPQ. Despite several limitations, these results suggest that it is a useful tool with which to assess a patient's conceptualization of the biological mechanisms that underpin his or her pain and to evaluate the effects of cognitive interventions in clinical practice and research.
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In this prospective cohort study we aimed to describe the natural course of acute neck and low back pain in a general population of Norway. We screened 9056 subjects aged 20-67 years who participated in a general health survey for a new episode of neck or low back pain the previous month. The screening identified 219 subjects who formed the cohort for this study. ⋯ Only 1 in 5 sought health care for their complaints. Still, the course of pain was comparable to effect sizes reported in interventional studies. This study thus contributes natural course reference data for comparisons of pain outcome in clinical trials and practice.
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To assess the clinical effectiveness of single lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs) in subjects with radicular pain with or without radiculopathy. ⋯ This retrospective observational study suggests TFESIs are clinically effective in the treatment of lumbar radicular pain. Subjects with a shorter duration of pain are more likely to achieve a successful outcome.
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Int J Public Health · Aug 2013
Back pain and body posture evaluation instrument (BackPEI): development, content validation and reproducibility.
Following a search conducted in several databases, no instrument was found that jointly evaluates the prevalence of back pain and its associated demographic, social-economic, hereditary, behavioral and postural risk factors. Thus, the present study aims to develop the Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument (BackPEI) for school-age children and verify its validity and reproducibility. ⋯ The BackPEI constitutes a valid and reproducible instrument which is relevant for the evaluation of back pain and its associated risk factors.