Yellow flag on prognostic factors for non-specific chronic low back pain patients subjected to mini-invasive treatment: a cohort study

Monica Zackova, Raffaele Aspide, Anita Braghittoni, Corrado Zenesini, Giorgio Palandri

August 2020, Volume 29, Issue 8, pp 1879 - 1886 Original Article Read Full Article

First Online: 03 June 2020

Objectives

Research was conducted to study the efficacy of analgesic infiltration treatment in a well-selected population of patients with non-specific drug-resistant chronic low back pain. It studied the pain on a numeric rating scale and the physical and mental condition of patients using a short-form health survey-36, before and six months after invasive pain treatment.

Design

This is a prospective observational single center cohort study.

Setting

The study took place in the Multimodal Pain Therapy Unit of the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences in Bologna, Italy.

Subjects

Four hundred and thirteen out of a total 538 patients admitted to the unit with non-specific drug-resistant chronic low back pain were enrolled in the study.

Method

Patients were enrolled with written consent between April 2017 and November 2018. The study assessed NRS, BDI and SF-36 scores before and six months after mini-invasive treatment.

Results

There is an inverse correlation between Mental Component Scale (MCS) and Physical component scale as measured by SF-36. Older patients in a worse physical condition but with a more positive outlook on their quality of life were more likely to improve after invasive treatment (p

Conclusions

The prognostic value of MCS given to the patient before mini-invasive treatment could lead physicians to adopt a multimodal approach that includes consideration of the psychological features of pain and possibly antidepressant therapy.

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