title: Prognostic Factors for Persistent Leg-Pain in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Sciatica.
abstract: METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify potential prognostic factors for persistent leg-pain at 12 months among patients hospitalized with acute severe sciatica.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The long-term outcome for patients admitted to hospital with sciatica is generally unfavorable. Results concerning prognostic factors for persistent sciatica are limited and conflicting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 210 patients acutely admitted to hospital for either surgical or nonsurgical treatment of sciatica were consecutively recruited and received a thorough clinical and radiographic examination in addition to responding to a comprehensive questionnaire. Follow-up assessments were done at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. Potential prognostic factors were measured at baseline and at 6 weeks. The impact of these factors on leg-pain was analyzed by multiple linear regression modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 151 patients completed the entire study, 93 receiving nonrandomized surgical treatment. The final multivariate models showed that the following factors were significantly associated with leg-pain at 12 months: high psychosocial risk according to the Örebro Musculosceletal Pain Questionnaire (unstandardized beta coefficient 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-2.38, P < 0.001), not receiving surgical treatment (1.11, 95% CI 0.29-1.93, P = 0.01), not actively employed upon admission (1.47, 95% CI 0.63-2.31, P < 0.01), and self-reported leg-pain recorded 6 weeks posthospital admission (0.49, 95% CI 0.34-0.63, P < 0.001). Interaction analysis showed that the Örebro Musculosceletal Pain Questionnaire had significant prognostic value only on the nonsurgically treated patients (3.26, 95% CI 1.89-4.63, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that a psychosocial screening tool and the implementation of a 6-week postadmission follow-up has prognostic value in the hospital management of severe sciatica.
  
  
  METHODS
  2.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fjeld
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Faculty of Health Science, Oslo and Akershus University College, Norway.
authors.forename: Margreth
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grotle
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Vibeke
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siewers
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.|Department of Work Psychology and Physiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristian Bernhard
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Nilsen
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Disorders (FORMI), Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: John-Anker
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zwart
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D007866:Leg / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012585:Sciatica / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome