Variables Describing Individuals With Improved Pain and Function With a Primary Complaint of Low Back Pain: A...

The purpose of this study was to identify descriptive factors in individuals with a primary complaint of low back pain (LBP) associated with improved pain and function after receiving physical therapy for LBP with or without manual therapy and exercise directed at the femoroacetabular joints.

Participants were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial investigating physical therapy interventions for their LBP, with or without interventions directed at the femoroacetabular joints (hips). A participant was deemed recovered if all of the following were met: Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score of ≤2 points, ≤10% on the modified Oswestry Disability Index at discharge, and a global rating of change score of +4 at both 2 weeks and discharge. Logistic regression modelling determined descriptor variables that best predicted treatment recovery.

Data from 90 participants were included in the analysis, with 44% (n = 40) achieving recovery by discharge from physical therapy (average 7.95 [±4.68]) visits. The variables of concurrent hip problems, lower body mass index ≤25.4, an irritable condition, and a baseline NPRS score of 4 points or less were retained in the final model (R² = .384). Having a concurrent hip problem had the highest odds of achieving recovery in the model (odds ratio: 5.34, 95 % confidence interval: 1.31-21.8).

The findings for the patients in this study suggest that those with a concurrent hip problem, a lower body mass index, irritable symptoms, and a baseline NPRS score of 4 points or less were associated with greater odds of achieving recovery with multimodal physical therapy interventions. Further research should continue to investigate the interplay between the lumbar spine and hip joints.