RESUMO
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To identify potential prognostic factors for persistent leg-pain at 12 months among patients hospitalized with acute severe sciatica. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The long-term outcome for patients admitted to hospital with sciatica is generally unfavorable. Results concerning prognostic factors for persistent sciatica are limited and conflicting. METHODS: A total of 210 patients acutely admitted to hospital for either surgical or nonsurgical treatment of sciatica were consecutively recruited and received a thorough clinical and radiographic examination in addition to responding to a comprehensive questionnaire. Follow-up assessments were done at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. Potential prognostic factors were measured at baseline and at 6 weeks. The impact of these factors on leg-pain was analyzed by multiple linear regression modeling. RESULTS: A total of 151 patients completed the entire study, 93 receiving nonrandomized surgical treatment. The final multivariate models showed that the following factors were significantly associated with leg-pain at 12 months: high psychosocial risk according to the Örebro Musculosceletal Pain Questionnaire (unstandardized beta coefficient 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-2.38, Pâ<â0.001), not receiving surgical treatment (1.11, 95% CI 0.29-1.93, Pâ=â0.01), not actively employed upon admission (1.47, 95% CI 0.63-2.31, Pâ<â0.01), and self-reported leg-pain recorded 6 weeks posthospital admission (0.49, 95% CI 0.34-0.63, Pâ<â0.001). Interaction analysis showed that the Örebro Musculosceletal Pain Questionnaire had significant prognostic value only on the nonsurgically treated patients (3.26, 95% CI 1.89-4.63, Pâ<â0.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a psychosocial screening tool and the implementation of a 6-week postadmission follow-up has prognostic value in the hospital management of severe sciatica. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.