Article

A cluster analysis - It has been suggested that low back pain (LBP) is a condition with an
unpredictable pattern of exacerbation, remission, and recurrence. However, there
is an incomplete understanding of the course of LBP and the determinants of the
course. The purposes of this study were:
(1) to identify clusters of
LBP patients with similar fluctuating pain patterns over time and (2) to
investigate whether demographic and clinical characteristics can distinguish
these clusters. DESIGN:
This study was a secondary analysis of data extracted
from a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Pain scores were collected from 155
participants with chronic nonspecific LBP. Pain intensity was measured monthly
over a 1-year period by mobile phone short message service. Cluster analysis was
used to identify participants with similar fluctuating patterns of pain based on
the pain measures collected over a year, and t tests were used to evaluate if the
clusters differed in terms of baseline characteristics. RESULTS: The cluster
analysis revealed the presence of 3 main clusters. Pain was of fluctuating nature
within 2 of the clusters. Out of the 155 participants, 21 (13.5%) had fluctuating
pain. Baseline disability (measured with the Roland-Morris Disability
Questionnaire) and treatment groups (from the initial randomized controlled
trial) were significantly different in the clusters of patients with fluctuating
pain when compared with the cluster of patients without fluctuating pain.
LIMITATIONS: A limitation of this study was the fact that participants were
undergoing treatment that may have been responsible for the rather positive prognosis observed. CONCLUSIONS: A small number of patients with fluctuating
patterns of pain over time were identified. This number could increase if
individuals with episodic pain are included in this fluctuating group.

Langue : ANGLAIS