Long-term outcomes after a functional restoration program for non-specific chronic low back pain: A 10-year...

There is a scarcity of data on the long-term evolution of patients after functional restoration for non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). Therefore, this longitudinal study investigated overall improvement and other sociodemographic and clinical parameters in patients with NSCLBP within 10 years of participating in a functional restoration program.

Functional restoration was undergone in a French university hospital between 2009 and 2011. Patients were evaluated at the inclusion, the end of the program, three months, 12 months, and 10 years. The primary outcome of the study was the overall improvement in the 10 years following functional restoration. There were multiple secondary outcomes (e.g., the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale [QBPDS] and return to work). Changes over time were assessed using generalized estimating equations.

The study included 51 patients (mean [SD] age 45.6 [8.3] years; 54.9% women; 66.7% employees or workers; and 66.7% full or part-time work disability). The percentage of overall improvement was 76.5% at 10 years (versus 92.0% at the end of the program; P-value < 0.050). The QBPDS score improved from a mean score of 43.2 at inclusion to 32.2 at 10 years (P-value<0.001). Finally, return to work occurred in more than half of patients with work disability at three months (62.5%) and 10 years (60.0%), and this return was stable over time (P-value not significant).

Patients with NSCLBP had favorable outcomes up to 10 years after functional restoration. Further data are needed to corroborate the present findings.