title: Non-specific back pain in children and adolescents: a prospective study until maturity.
abstract: Fifty-eight children with non-specific back pain lasting for at least 3 months were included in this prospective study. Not included were children with radicular pain or with abnormal findings on clinical examination, radiography, bone scan, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. They were all re-examined after skeletal maturity, on average 7.6 years later. Thirty-one children had pain in the lumbar spine, 20 in the thoracic region and seven over the entire spine. Sixty-two percent of the children were still in pain at follow-up. Female sex and pain in the thoracic region were associated with an increased risk of the pain remaining chronic.
authors.affiliation: Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel.
authors.forename: Yigal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mirovsky
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jakim
authors.forename: Nachum
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Halperin
authors.forename: Lapidus
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lev
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D017677:Age Distribution; D000886:Anthropometry; D001416:Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010808:Physical Examination; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed