Abstract Low back pain is a challenge for clinicians and researchers, due to the large variability in clinical presentation, lack of consensus regarding diagnostic criteria or clinical classification; wide variation…
Abstract Mediation analysis is a useful research method that potentially allows identification of the mechanisms through which treatments affect patient outcomes. This chapter reviews the theoretical framework, research designs and…
Abstract Stratified care for back pain involves targeting treatment to subgroups of patients based on their key characteristics such as prognostic factors, likely response to treatment and underlying mechanisms. It…
Abstract We aimed to evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of surgical interventions for a number of conditions resulting in low back pain (LBP) or spine-related irradiating leg pain….
Abstract Increased opioid prescribing for back pain and other chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions has been accompanied by dramatic increases in prescription-opioid addiction and fatal overdose. Opioid-related risks appear to increase…
Summary Social factors are widely acknowledged in behavioural models of pain and pain management, but incorporating these factors into general medical consultations for low back pain (LBP) can be challenging….
Abstract Multisite musculoskeletal pain is common among people suffering from low back pain. Although the mechanisms behind co-occurrence of multiple somatic symptoms and musculoskeletal pain are still unknown, patients with…
Abstract A large body of evidence suggests that psychological factors, including emotions, beliefs and avoidant behaviours, are linked to poor outcomes in low back pain. At the same time, the…
Abstract Low back pain is not a self-limiting problem, but rather a recurrent and sometimes persistent disorder. To understand the course over time, detailed investigation, preferably using repeated measurements over…
Abstract The latest Global Burden of Disease Study, published at the end of 2012, has highlighted the enormous global burden of low back pain. In contrast to the previous study,…
