title: The relationships between pain, disability, and health-related quality of life: an 8-year follow-up study of female home care personnel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the development of pain conditions, disability, and health-related quality of life over an 8-year period in home care personnel.
  
  
  METHODS
  In earlier studies of 607 women, we reported baseline data concerning home care personnel. This study reports the results from an 8-year follow-up using a postal questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The questionnaire was completed by 87%. Prevalences of pain in upper back, lower back, and knees as well as pain intensity of the low back had decreased. Participants with the highest pain intensities of the low back at baseline had relatively lower pain intensities at follow-up. Anatomical spreading of pain was associated with higher average pain intensity. Disability had increased significantly during the time period. In the regression of disability at follow-up, average pain intensity together with disability rating index at baseline were the most important regressors; a similar pattern was found for quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The development of disability differed from that of low-back pain intensity. Spreading of pain and pain intensity across the anatomical regions influenced disability and quality of life over 8 years. When assessing pain, it seems important to determine the spread of pain rather than just focusing on the area with intense pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spreading of pain and the average intensity of pain across the involved anatomical regions have importance for future pain and disability and quality of life. The clinical assessment of subjects with chronic pain prior to rehabilitation interventions has to determine the spreading of pain rather than just focusing on the area with the most intense pain. The different developments over time for pain intensity and disability indicate the need for applying a bio-psycho-social view of pain both when assessing the patient with pain and when discussing the prognosis and course of the actual pain condition with the patient.
authors: a Department of Pain and Rehabilitation Centre and.|b Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Faculty of Health Sciences , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors: Gunnar
authors: G
authors: Lundberg
authors: a Department of Pain and Rehabilitation Centre and.|b Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Faculty of Health Sciences , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors: Björn
authors: B
authors: Gerdle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006699:Home Care Services; D018576:Home Health Aides / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Health related quality of life; home care; musculoskeletal; pain; spine; women