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[Lumbago and its impact on primary care]
B Gros Bañeres1, V Bertol Alegre, A Fernández García
1Centro de Salud Miralbueno, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza.
Objective:
To analyse the effect of Back Pain on Primary Care.
Design:
Retrospective descriptive study. SITE. "Miralbueno" Health Centre in Zaragoza.
Patients:
Those patients seen at our Health Centre for the above reason between January 1 and August 31, 1990.
Main Measurements And Results:
53 cases were recorded: 1.83% of the total number seen. The largest number of cases were of patients between 30 and 50 years old, with no differences as to sex, 35.8% presented radicular irradiation, 5.7% sensitive involvement, 7.5% motor involvement and 9.4% alteration of the osteotendinous reflexes. The average case lasted 21.3 days, with the cases where there was neurological involvement lasting on average longer. Ten patients needed time off work, which meant the loss of 181 working days.
Conclusions:
Cases of back pain, which are a common problem at the Primary Care level, should be the target of organisational efforts to cut waiting times for further tests and treatment, in order to reduce the mental and socio-economic repercussions of this pathology.