title: Epidemiologic and clinical studies of long-term prognosis of low-back pain and sciatica.
abstract: In order to justify the selection of therapeutic measures for low-back pain and sciatica, epidemiologic and clinical studies were performed of the natural histories or the long-term prognosis of those symptoms. The main conclusions drawn in relation to decision making are as follows: low-back pain is more frequent than sciatica or intermittent claudication, but the latter is more disabling; acute attacks are generally more disabling than chronic pain, and the frequency may be more closely related to poor prognosis than the duration; radiologic findings are of little value in differentiating the incidence and degree of the symptoms during life; myelographic or peridurographic abnormalities do not always suggest poor prognosis.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012585:Sciatica / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy