A Cluster Analysis of Initial Primary Care Orders for Patients with Acute Low Back Pain.

PURPOSE: Primary care physicians (PCPs) often face a complex intersection of patient expectations, evidence, and policy that influences their care recommendations for acute low back pain (aLBP). The purpose of this study was to elucidate patterns of PCP orders for patients with aLBP, identify the most common patterns, and describe patient clinical and demographic characteristics associated with patterns of aLBP care. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 9574 aLBP patients presenting to 1 of 77 primary care practices in 4 geographic locations in the United States. We performed a cluster analysis of PCP orders extracted from electronic health records within the first 21 days of an initial visit for aLBP. RESULTS: 1401 (15%) patients did not receive a PCP order related to back pain within the first 21 days of their initial visit. These patients predominantly had aLBP without leg pain, less back-related disability, and were at low-risk for persistent disability. Of the remaining 8146 patients, we found 4 distinct order patterns: combined nonpharmacologic and first-line medication (44%); second-line medication (39%); imaging (10%); and specialty referral (7%). Among all patients, 29% received solely 1 order from their PCP. PCPs more often combined different guideline concordant and discordant orders. Patients with higher self-reported disability and psychological distress were more likely to receive guideline discordant care. CONCLUSION: Guideline discordant orders such as steroids and NSAIDS are often combined with guideline recommended orders such as physical therapy. Further defining patient, clinician, and health care setting characteristics associated with discordant care would inform targeted efforts for deimplementation initiatives.

Do Physical Therapy and Yoga Improve Pain and Disability through Psychological Mechanisms? A Causal Mediation Analysis of Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether indirect effects via psychological mechanisms explain the effects of physical therapy (PT) or yoga versus education on back-related outcomes. DESIGN: Mediation analyses using data from a randomized controlled trial of PT, yoga, and education interventions for chronic low back pain. METHODS: Primary outcomes were changes in back-related pain on the 11-point numeric rating scale and disability on the modified 23-point Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, measured at 52 weeks after randomization. Hypothesized mediators were 12-week changes in pain self-efficacy, fear-avoidance beliefs, depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and sleep quality. We used causal mediation analysis to estimate the total effect, direct effect, indirect effect, and proportion mediated. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 230 adults (mean age = 46.2 years, 69.6% female, 79.6% non-White). In the PT-versus-education model, when the mediator was perceived stress, the total effect on disability was 2.6 points (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3, 4.9) and decomposed into a direct effect of 1.7 points (95% CI: -0.4, 3.8) and an indirect effect 0.9 points (95% CI: 0.1, 2.0; proportion mediated, 34%). No other psychological construct was a significant mediator. CONCLUSION: Improvements in perceived stress mediated improvements in disability after PT treatment compared to education. Other psychological outcomes did not mediate the effect of yoga or PT on pain or disability outcomes compared to education. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2022;52(7):470-483. Epub: 18 May 2022. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10813.

Changes in Pain Self-Efficacy, Coping Skills, and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga, Physical Therapy, and Education for Chronic Low Back Pain.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated exercise interventions for cognitive appraisal of chronic low back pain (cLBP) in an underserved population. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Back to Health Trial, showing yoga to be noninferior to physical therapy (PT) for pain and function outcomes among adults with cLBP (n = 320) recruited from primary care clinics with predominantly low-income patients. Participants were randomized to 12 weeks of yoga, PT, or education. Cognitive appraisal was assessed with the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ). Using multiple imputation and linear regression, we estimated within- and between-group changes in cognitive appraisal at 12 and 52 weeks, with baseline and the education group as references. RESULTS: Participants (mean age = 46 years) were majority female (64%) and majority Black (57%), and 54% had an annual household income <$30,000. All three groups showed improvements in PSEQ (range 0-60) at 12 weeks (yoga, mean difference [MD] = 7.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.9, 9.0; PT, MD = 6.9, 95% CI: 4.7 to 9.1; and education, MD = 3.4, 95% CI: 0.54 to 6.3), with yoga and PT improvements being clinically meaningful. At 12 weeks, improvements in catastrophizing (CSQ, range 0-36) were largest in the yoga and PT groups (MD = -3.0, 95% CI: -4.4 to -1.6; MD = -2.7, 95% CI: -4.2 to -1.2, respectively). Changes in FABQ were small. No statistically significant between-group differences were observed on PSEQ, CSQ, or FABQ at either time point. Many of the changes observed at 12 weeks were sustained at 52 weeks. CONCLUSION: All three interventions were associated with improvements in self-efficacy and catastrophizing among low-income, racially diverse adults with cLBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01343927.