The course of low back pain in a general population. Results from a 5-year prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the course of low back pain (LBP) in a general population over 5 years.


METHODS
Prospective population-based survey by postal questionnaires in 1991, 1992, and 1996.


METHODS
The municipal of Ebeltoft, Denmark.


METHODS
Two thousand people aged 30 to 50 years, representative of the Danish population. Main outcome measure Number of days with low back pain during the past year.


RESULTS
One thousand three hundred seventy were recruited of whom 813 (59%) were followed to 5 years. The responders could be divided into 3 groups with regard to LBP: no pain, short-term pain, and long-lasting/recurring pain. More than one third of people who experienced LBP in the previous year did so for >30 days. Forty percent of people with LBP >30 days at baseline remained in that group 1 and 5 years later, and 9% with LBP >30 days in year 0 were pain free in year 5. People with LBP in year 0 were 4 times more likely to have LBP in year 1, and 2 times more likely to be affected in year 5.


CONCLUSIONS
Low back pain should not be considered transient and therefore neglected, since the condition rarely seems to be self-limiting but merely presents with periodic attacks and temporary remissions. On the other hand, chronicity as defined solely by the duration of symptoms should not be considered chronic.
Hestbaek
Lise
L
The Back Clinic, Ringe, Denmark. hestbaek@vip.cybercity.dk
Leboeuf-Yde
Charlotte
C
Engberg
Marianne
M
Lauritzen
Torsten
T
Bruun
Niels Henrik
NH
Manniche
Claus
C
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires