title: The Spine Team Assessment for chronic back pain disability. Part 1: basic protocol and performance in 500 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For persons with chronic back pain disability, customized, effective, and efficient treatment depends on the initial assessment. Functional capacity evaluations and intake screenings for particular programs are not independent or goal-directed. This paper describes a standardized independent multidisciplinary assessment for treatment planning, and characteristic findings in a population of chronically disabled persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Spine Team Assessment (STA), a (1/2)-day assessment including extensive intake information, evaluations by therapists and counselors, a team meeting with a physician, and a comprehensive report, was performed on 500 consecutive persons with chronic back pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Representative findings included maximum cardiac performance of 5.33 (+/-4.08 SD) METS; Progressive Isoinertial Lifting Evaluation floor-to-waist of 36.4% (+/-23.9% of norms, and CESD depression scores of 24.7 (+/-13.5 SD). Fear and avoidance and poor physiologic effort were common.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deconditioning, psychosocial factors and functional deficits are common, complex, and variable among chronic back pain patients. This description of the STA provides a potentially reproducible standard for research into individualized treatment. The work provides benchmark data for independent multidisciplinary assessments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine, The Spine Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA. Andyhaig@umich.edu
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Haig
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Geisser
authors.forename: Britt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theisen-Goodvich
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lamphiear
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Legatski
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sacksteder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010808:Physical Examination; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires