Semiautomatic Assessment of Facet Tropism From Lumbar Spine MRI Using Deep Learning: A Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, population-based study that automatically measured the facet joint (FJ) angles from T2-weighted axial magnetic resonance imagings (MRIs) of the lumbar spine using deep learning (DL). OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to introduce a semiautomatic framework that measures the FJ angles using DL and study facet tropism (FT) in a large Finnish population-based cohort. SUMMARY OF DATA: T2-weighted axial MRIs of the lumbar spine (L3/4 through L5/S1) for (n=1288) in the NFBC1966 Finnish population-based cohort were used for this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A DL model was developed and trained on 430 participants' MRI images. The authors computed FJ angles from the model's prediction for each level, that is, L3/4 through L5/S1, for the male and female subgroups. Inter-rater and intrarater reliability was analyzed for 60 participants using annotations made by two radiologists and a musculoskeletal researcher. With the developed method, we examined FT in the entire NFBC1966 cohort, adopting the literature definitions of FT thresholds at 7° and 10°. The rater agreement was evaluated both for the annotations and the FJ angles computed based on the annotations. FJ asymmetry ( - was used to evaluate the agreement and correlation between the raters. Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess the agreement and systemic bias in the FJ asymmetry. The authors used the Dice score as the metric to compare the annotations between the raters. The authors evaluated the model predictions on the independent test set and compared them against the ground truth annotations. RESULTS: This model scored Dice (92.7±0.1) and intersection over union (87.1±0.2) aggregated across all the regions of interest, that is, vertebral body (VB), FJs, and posterior arch (PA). The mean FJ angles measured for the male and female subgroups were in agreement with the literature findings. Intrarater reliability was high, with a Dice score of VB (97.3), FJ (82.5), and PA (90.3). The inter-rater reliability was better between the radiologists with a Dice score of VB (96.4), FJ (75.5), and PA (85.8) than between the radiologists and the musculoskeletal researcher. The prevalence of FT was higher in the male subgroup, with L4/5 found to be the most affected region. CONCLUSION: The authors developed a DL-based framework that enabled us to study FT in a large cohort. Using the proposed method, the authors present the prevalence of FT in a Finnish population-based cohort.

Economic burden of osteoarthritis - multi-country estimates of direct and indirect costs from the BISCUITS study.

Data from 'BISCUITS', a large Nordic cohort study linking several registries, were used to estimate differences in average direct and indirect costs between patients with osteoarthritis and controls (matched 1:1 based on birth year and sex) from the general population in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark for 2017. Patients ≥18 years with ≥1 diagnosis of osteoarthritis (ICD-10: M15-M19) recorded in specialty or primary care (the latter available for a subset of patients in Sweden and for all patients in Finland) during 2011-2017 were included. Patients with a cancer diagnosis (ICD-10: C00-C43/C45-C97) were excluded. Productivity loss (sick leave and disability pension) and associated indirect costs were estimated among working-age adults (18-66 years). In 2017, average annual incremental direct costs among adults with osteoarthritis (n=1,157,236) in specialty care relative to controls ranged between €1,259 and €1,693 (p<0.001) per patient across all countries. Total average annual incremental costs were €3,224-€4,969 (p<0.001) per patient. Healthcare cost differences were mainly explained by osteoarthritis patients having more surgeries. However, among patients with both primary and secondary care data, primary care costs exceeded the costs of surgery. Primary care constituted 41 and 29 % of the difference in direct costs in Sweden and Finland, respectively. From a societal perspective, the total economic burden of osteoarthritis is substantial, and the incremental cost was estimated to €1.1-€1.3 billion yearly for patients in specialty care across the Nordic countries. When including patients in primary care, incremental costs rose to €3 billion in Sweden and €1.8 billion in Finland. Given the large economic impact, finding cost-effective and safe therapeutic strategies for these patients will be important.

Burden of disease and management of osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: healthcare utilization and sick leave in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark (BISCUITS): study design and patient characteristics of a real world data study.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) are common musculoskeletal disorders with substantial patient and societal burden. Nordic administrative registers offer a unique opportunity to study the impact of these conditions in the real-world setting. The Burden of Disease and Management of Osteoarthritis and Chronic Low Back Pain: Health Care Utilization and Sick Leave in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark (BISCUITS) study was designed to study disease prevalence and the societal and economic burden in broad OA and CLBP populations. METHODS: Patients in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark with diagnoses of OA or CLBP (low back pain record plus ≥2 pain relief prescriptions to indicate chronicity) were identified in specialty care, in primary care (Sweden and Finland) and in a quality-of-care register (Sweden). Matched controls were identified for the specialty care cohort. Longitudinal data were extracted on prevalence, treatment patterns, patient-reported outcomes, social and economic burden. RESULTS: Almost 1.4 million patients with OA and 0.4 million with CLBP were identified in specialty care, corresponding to a prevalence in the Nordic countries of 6.3 and 1.9%, respectively. The prevalence increased to 11-14% for OA and almost 6% for CLBP when adding patients identified in primary care. OA patients had a higher Elixhauser comorbidity index (0.66 vs. 0.46) and were using opioids (44.7 vs. 10.2%) or long-term nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) (20.9 vs. 4.5%) more than four times as often as compared to controls. The differences were even larger for CLBP patients compared to their controls (comorbidity index 0.89 vs. 0.39, opioid use 77.7 vs. 9.4%, and long-term NSAID use 37.2 vs. 4.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The BISCUITS study offers an unprecedented, longitudinal healthcare data source to quantify the real-world burden of more than 1.8 million patients with OA or CLBP across four countries. In subsequent papers we aim to explore among others additional outcomes and subgroups of patients, primarily those patients who may benefit most from better healthcare management.

Effectiveness of training in guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low-back pain in occupational health services - a cluster randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of brief training in the guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low-back pain (LBP) in occupational health services using a cluster-randomized design. A small sample of physiotherapists and physicians from the intervention units (N=12) were given three- to seven-day training focusing on the biopsychosocial management of LBP, while professionals in the control units (N=15) received no such training. METHODS: Eligible patients with LBP, with or without radicular pain, aged 18-65, were invited to participate. A web-based questionnaire was sent to all recruited patients at baseline, three months and one year. The primary outcome measure was disability (Oswestry Disability Index, ODI) over one year. Between-group differences were analyzed using linear and generalized linear mixed models adjusted for baseline-response delay as well as variables showing between-group imbalance at baseline. RESULTS: The final study sample comprised 234 and 81 patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively at baseline, and 137 and 47 patients, respectively, at one year. At baseline, the mean duration of pain was longer in the intervention group (P=0.017), and pain-related fear concerning physical activity was lower (P=0.012). We observed no significant difference between the groups' primary outcome measure (adjusted one-year mean difference in the ODI: 2.3; 95% confidence interval -1.0-5.7; P=0.175) or most secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Brief training in guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of LBP for occupational health professionals did not appear to be effective in reducing patients' symptom over one-year follow-up compared to treatment as usual.

Evaluation of training in guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low back pain in occupational health services: Protocol of a cluster randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: To prevent low back pain (LBP) from developing into a prolonged disabling condition, clinical guidelines advocate early stage assessment, risk-screening, and tailored interventions. Occupational health services recommend guideline-oriented biopsychosocial screening and individualized assessment and management. However, it is not known whether training a limited number of health care professionals improves the management process. The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether training in the biopsychosocial practice model is effective in reducing disability. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate health-economic impacts of the training intervention in comparison to usual medical care. METHODS: The occupational health service units will be allocated into a training or control arm in a two-arm cluster randomized controlled design. The training of occupational physiotherapists and physicians will include the assessment of pain-related psychosocial factors using the STarT Back Tool and the short version of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire, the use of an evidence-based patient education booklet as part of the management of LBP, and tailored individualized management of LBP according to risk stratification. The control units will receive no training. The study population will include patients aged 18-65 with nonspecific LBP. The primary outcome is a patient-reported Oswestry Disability Index from baseline to 12 months. By estimating group differences over time, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the training intervention in comparison to usual medical care, and to undertake an economic evaluation using individual patients' health care records (participant-level data) and the participating units' registries (cluster-level data). In addition, through interviews and questionnaires, we will explore the health care professionals' conceptions of the adoption of, the barriers to, and the facilitators of the implementation of the practice model. DISCUSSION: The evaluation of training in the guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of LBP in occupational health services is justified because LBP represents an enormous burden in terms of work disability.

Assessment of construct validity of the Finnish versions of the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Instrument and the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of information on the measurement properties of patient-reported upper extremity instruments and their association to health-related quality of life (HRQoL). PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to examine and compare the measurement properties and construct validity of the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) Instrument and the Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) using a heterogeneous sample of patients with hand and wrist problems. METHODS: Two hundred fifty consecutive patients visiting a general orthopedic outpatient clinic due to various hand/wrist problems were invited to participate in the study. A total of 193 (77%) participants provided sufficient patient-reported outcome data and were included in the analysis. Participants completed the DASH, the MHQ, the EQ-5D-3L, and pain on a visual analog scale instruments. Grip and key pinch forces were measured. Scale targeting, relatedness of demographics, and construct validity of the DASH and the MHQ were assessed. RESULTS: Both the DASH and the MHQ had good targeting, but the DASH had wider coverage. The convergence between the DASH and the MHQ was high. The DASH was more closely related to HRQoL than the MHQ in terms of EQ-5D scores. DISCUSSION: The DASH instrument appeared to measure hand function and disability from a perspective of HRQoL superior to the MHQ among patients with heterogeneous hand and wrist complaints. CONCLUSION: The DASH performs well in measuring the HRQoL-related hand outcomes while the MHQ might be more specific for the affected hand.

Socioeconomic and health-related childhood and adolescence predictors of entry into paid employment.

BACKGROUND: Most studies on prolonging working careers have explored later career, while less is known about social and particularly health-related determinants of entry into labour market. We examined social and health-related factors from childhood and adolescence as predictors of age at entry into paid employment and early occupational class, and whether own education moderates these associations. METHODS: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 was followed from birth until the end of 2015. We included 8542 participants (52% male) who had had a minimum of 6-month employment that was defined by registered earning periods. As socioeconomic predictors, we examined low parental education at age 7 and low household income at age 16. Behaviour- and health-related factors at age 16 included smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, overweight, length of sleep and not having breakfast, while mental health problems included symptoms of anxiety and depression, attention problems and social problems. The analyses for significant predictors were further stratified by register-based level of completed own education by age 28-29 (low/high). RESULTS: After adjustments, low parental education, smoking and having been drunk were significant predictors of early entry into paid employment (≤18 vs. ≥24 years), especially among those who later obtained high education. Low parental education and smoking were predictors of low or non-specified (vs. high) occupational class in the first job. Mental health problems were not associated with either outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic background and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to early entry into the labour market and low occupational status in the first job.

Lessons learnt from a discontinued randomised controlled trial: adalimumab injection compared with placebo for patients receiving physiotherapy treatment for sciatica (Subcutaneous Injection of Adalimumab Trial compared with Control: SCIATiC).

BACKGROUND: Adalimumab, a biological treatment targeting tumour necrosis factor α, might be useful in sciatica. This paper describes the challenges faced when developing a new treatment pathway for a randomised controlled trial of adalimumab for people with sciatica, as well as the reasons why the trial discussed was stopped early. METHODS: A pragmatic, parallel group, randomised controlled trial with blinded (masked) participants, clinicians, outcome assessment and statistical analysis was conducted in six UK sites. Participants were identified and recruited from general practices, musculoskeletal services and outpatient physiotherapy clinics. They were adults with persistent symptoms of sciatica of 1 to 6 months' duration with moderate to high level of disability. Eligibility was assessed by research physiotherapists according to clinical criteria, and participants were randomised to receive two doses of adalimumab (80 mg then 40 mg 2 weeks later) or saline placebo subcutaneous injections in the posterior lateral thigh. Both groups were referred for a course of physiotherapy. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6-week, 6-month and 12-month follow-up. The main outcome measure was disability measured using the Oswestry Disability Index. The planned sample size was 332, with the first 50 in an internal pilot phase. RESULTS: The internal pilot phase was discontinued after 10 months from opening owing to low recruitment (two of the six sites active, eight participants recruited). There were several challenges: contractual delays; one site did not complete contract negotiations, and two sites signed contracts shortly before trial closure; site withdrawal owing to patient safety concerns; difficulties obtaining excess treatment costs; and in the two sites that did recruit, recruitment was slower than planned because of operational issues and low uptake by potential participants. CONCLUSIONS: Improved patient care requires robust clinical research within contexts in which treatments can realistically be provided. Step changes in treatment, such as the introduction of biologic treatments for severe sciatica, raise complex issues that can delay trial initiation and retard recruitment. Additional preparatory work might be required before testing novel treatments. A randomised controlled trial of tumour necrosis factor-α blockade is still needed to determine its cost-effectiveness in severe sciatica. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN14569274 . Registered on 15 December 2014.

What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention.

Low back pain is a very common symptom. It occurs in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries and all age groups from children to the elderly population. Globally, years lived with disability caused by low back pain increased by 54% between 1990 and 2015, mainly because of population increase and ageing, with the biggest increase seen in low-income and middle-income countries. Low back pain is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. For nearly all people with low back pain, it is not possible to identify a specific nociceptive cause. Only a small proportion of people have a well understood pathological cause-eg, a vertebral fracture, malignancy, or infection. People with physically demanding jobs, physical and mental comorbidities, smokers, and obese individuals are at greatest risk of reporting low back pain. Disabling low back pain is over-represented among people with low socioeconomic status. Most people with new episodes of low back pain recover quickly; however, recurrence is common and in a small proportion of people, low back pain becomes persistent and disabling. Initial high pain intensity, psychological distress, and accompanying pain at multiple body sites increases the risk of persistent disabling low back pain. Increasing evidence shows that central pain-modulating mechanisms and pain cognitions have important roles in the development of persistent disabling low back pain. Cost, health-care use, and disability from low back pain vary substantially between countries and are influenced by local culture and social systems, as well as by beliefs about cause and effect. Disability and costs attributed to low back pain are projected to increase in coming decades, in particular in low-income and middle-income countries, where health and other systems are often fragile and not equipped to cope with this growing burden. Intensified research efforts and global initiatives are clearly needed to address the burden of low back pain as a public health problem.

Subcutaneous Injection of Adalimumab Trial compared with Control (SCIATiC): a randomised controlled trial of adalimumab injection compared with placebo for patients receiving physiotherapy treatment for sciatica.

BACKGROUND: Biological treatments such as adalimumab (Humira®; AbbVie Ltd, Maidenhead, UK) are antibodies targeting tumour necrosis factor alpha, released from ruptured intervertebral discs, which might be useful in sciatica. Recent systematic reviews concluded that they might be effective, but that a definitive randomised controlled trial was needed. Usual care in the NHS typically includes a physiotherapy intervention. OBJECTIVES: To test whether or not injections of adalimumab plus physiotherapy are more clinically effective and cost-effective than injections of saline plus physiotherapy for patients with sciatica. DESIGN: Pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with blinded participants and clinicians, and an outcome assessment and statistical analysis with concurrent economic evaluation and internal pilot. SETTING: Participants were referred from primary care and musculoskeletal services to outpatient physiotherapy clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with persistent symptoms of sciatica of 1-6 months' duration and with moderate to high levels of disability. Eligibility was assessed by research physiotherapists according to clinical criteria for diagnosing sciatica. INTERVENTIONS: After a second eligibility check, trial participants were randomised to receive two doses of adalimumab (80 mg and then 40 mg 2 weeks later) or saline injections. Both groups were referred for a course of physiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes were measured at the start, and after 6 weeks' and 6 months' follow-up. The main outcome measure was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Other outcomes: leg pain version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, Sciatica Bothersomeness Index, EuroQol-5 Dimensions, 5-level version, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, resource use, risk of persistent disabling pain, pain trajectory based on a single question, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and adverse effects. SAMPLE SIZE: To detect an effect size of 0.4 with 90% power, a 5% significance level for a two-tailed t-test and 80% retention rate, 332 participants would have needed to be recruited. ANALYSIS PLAN: The primary effectiveness analysis would have been linear mixed models for repeated measures to measure the effects of time and group allocation. An internal pilot study would have involved the first 50 participants recruited across all centres. The primary economic analysis would have been a cost-utility analysis. RESULTS: The internal pilot study was discontinued as a result of low recruitment after eight participants were recruited from two out of six sites. One site withdrew from the study before recruitment started, one site did not complete contract negotiations and two sites signed contracts shortly before trial closure. In the two sites that did recruit participants, recruitment was slow. This was partly because of operational issues, but also because of a low rate of uptake from potential participants. LIMITATIONS: Although large numbers of invitations were sent to potential participants, identified by retrospective searches of general practitioner (GP) records, there was a low rate of uptake. Two sites planned to recruit participants during GP consultations but opened too late to recruit any participants. CONCLUSION: The main failure was attributable to problems with contracts. Because of this we were not able to complete the internal pilot or to test all of the different methods for primary care recruitment we had planned. A trial of biological therapy in patients with sciatica still needs to be done, but would require a clearer contracting process, qualitative research to ensure that patients would be willing to participate, and simpler recruitment methods. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN14569274. FUNDING: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 21, No. 60. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Transcultural adaption and psychometric properties of the STarT Back Screening Tool among Finnish low back pain patients.

PURPOSE: The STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) is a 9-item questionnaire designed for screening low back pain (LBP) patients into three prognostic groups for stratified care. The stratified care approach has proven to be clinically more beneficial and cost-effective than the current best physiotherapy practice. The objective of this study was to translate, culturally adapt and study psychometric properties of the SBST among Finnish LBP patients. METHODS: The SBST was translated into Finnish using appropriate translation guidelines. A total of 116 patients were recruited from outpatient clinics. They were asked to fill out two questionnaires within 1-7 days. The first questionnaire set included the SBST, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) and intensities of back and leg pain (10-cm Visual Analogue Scale). The second questionnaire form included the SBST and a question about persistence of symptoms. RESULTS: Some linguistic and cultural differences emerged during the translation process with item 1 ("spread down my legs"), item 2 ("neck and shoulder pain"), item 6 ("worrying thoughts") and item 9 ("bothersome"). The test-retest reliability of the SBST total score was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.78) and of the psychosocial subscale good (0.68). Cronbach's alpha for the psychosocial subscale was 0.55. Spearman's correlation coefficient between SBST total score and BDI was 0.38, ODI 0.39, ÖMPSQ 0.45, intensity of leg pain 0.45 and LBP 0.31. Based on analysis of variance, the SBST discriminated low- and medium-risk groups better than medium- and high-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Finnish translation of the SBST is linguistically accurate and has been adapted to the Finnish-speaking population. It showed to be a valid and reliable instrument and comparable with the original English version. Therefore, it may be used in clinical work with Finnish LBP patients.

Short-term assessment of autonomic nervous system as a potential tool to quantify pain experience.

Various pain conditions may result in altered autonomic nervous system regulation. We evaluated whether autonomic regulation, analyzed with short-term heart rate variability (HRV), differs between low back pain (LBP) patients and healthy controls. Additionally, we tested if short-term HRV recordings are feasible and informative in planning home monitoring of LBP patients. The study population consisted of 16 volunteers (8 LBP patients and 8 healthy subjects) (age 42±10 years, body mass index 26±4 kg/m2, 7 men and 9 women). Usually 3- to 5-minute R-R interval recordings have been used as short-term recordings of HRV, but recent evidence supports even shorter R-R interval recording procedure for short-term HRV assessment. We collected R-R interval data for 1 minute in sitting, standing and bending down tasks. Mean heart rate (HR) and vagally mediated beat-to-beat variability (SD1 and rMSSD) were analyzed. The results showed that autonomic nervous system function assessed with the short-term measurement HRV method differentiates LBP patients from healthy controls in sitting and standing. Vagally mediated SD1 and rMSSD were significantly lower and the HR was higher among the patients compared to the controls. A novel finding was also the feasibility of 1-minute measurement of HRV, which may open entirely new opportunities to assess accurately concomitant changes in autonomic nervous system function and self-reported individual pain experience. This could lead to a more personalized pain treatment and more efficient health care resource allocation as the new measurement methods is more suitable for home monitoring than the previously used ones.

Although unseen, chronic pain is real-A phenomenological study.

Background Research has emphasised the essential role of psychosocial risk factors in chronic pain. In practice, pain is usually verified by identifying its physical cause. In patients without any distinct pathology, pain is easily defined as imaginary pain. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the invisibility of chronic pain, from the patients' perspective. Methods Thirty-four participants with chronic pain were interviewed. The mean age of the participants was 48 years, and 19 of them were women. For 21 of the participants, the duration of pain was more than five years, and most of the participants had degenerative spinal pain. The transcribed interviews were analysed using Giorgi's four-phase phenomenological method. Results The participants' chronic pain was not necessarily believed by health care providers because of no identified pathology. The usual statements made by health care providers and family members indicated speculation, underrating, and denial of pain. The participants reported experience of feeling that they had been rejected by the health care and social security system, and this feeling had contributed to additional unnecessary mental health problems for the participants. As a result from the interviews, subthemes such as "Being disbelieved", "Adolescents' pain is also disbelieved", "Denying pain", "Underrating symptoms", "The pain is in your head", "Second-class citizen", "Lazy pain patient", and "False beliefs demand passivity" were identified. Conclusions In health care, pain without any obvious pathology may be considered to be imaginary pain. Despite the recommendations, to see chronic pain as a biopsychosocial experience, chronic pain is still regarded as a symptom of an underlying disease. Although the holistic approach is well known and recommended, it is applied too sparsely in clinical practice. Implications The Cartesian legacy, keeping the mind and body apart, lives strong in treatment of chronic pain despite recommendations. The biopsychosocial approach seems to be rhetoric.

Chronic pain affects the whole person--a phenomenological study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore participants' perspectives on the effects of chronic pain on the psychophysical unity. METHODS: Thirty-four chronic pain outpatients were interviewed, and the transcribed interviews were analysed with Giorgi's four-phase phenomenological method. The mean age of the participants was 48 years, and 19 of them were women. For 21 of the participants, the pain duration was more than 5 years, and most had degenerative spinal pain. RESULTS: The results of this whole research project indicated that the phenomenon chronic pain consisted of four essential themes: Pain affects the whole person, invisibility, negativity, and dominance of pain. This study concentrates only on one theme "Chronic pain affects the whole person", in which were found eight subthemes in the interviews. The strongest argument made by the participants was not the physical pain itself but the psychosocial consequences, such as distress, loneliness, lost identity, and low quality of life which were their main problems. CONCLUSIONS: In multidisciplinary holistic rehabilitation, it is essential to take care of the patient's psychological distress. A potential source of psychosocial symptoms may be the subjective responses to experience of chronic pain due to the subjective meanings of pain. Implications for Rehabilitation About chronic pain Pain is an experience, not only an aversive sensation. Intensity of pain describes only the sensation, not the experience of pain. In chronic pain, the main complaint may be not the physical pain, but the distress. In rehabilitation, the patient needs to be taken as a whole person. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation, including patient counselling should be the fundamental part of treatment. In rehabilitation, the individual meaning of chronic pain needs to be disclosed.

The dominance of chronic pain: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is not only a physical disorder, but also a complex combination of biopsychosocial symptoms affecting each other. When in chronic pain, the patient's entire body becomes a source of pain, and eventually the pain occupies the patient's mind and entire life. The aim of the present study was to examine the life experience and management of chronic pain from the patient's perspective. METHODS: Thirty-four participants with chronic pain were interviewed. For 21 of the participants, the duration of pain was more than five years. Most of the participants had degenerative spinal pain. The transcribed interviews were analysed using Giorgi's four-phase phenomenological method. RESULTS: The results indicated that chronic pain impaired the participant's psychosocial well-being by controlling thoughts and making life itself painful. When life is filled with pain, the entire life is seen through pain. Continuity, unpredictability and the fear of the pain decreased quality of life. As a result of the interviews, the following subthemes were identified, based on the essential theme of 'the dominance of chronic pain': namely: 'pain is the master', 'life is not worth living', 'contextual pain' and 'waiting and hoping'. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic pain may decrease the quality of the patient's life to such an extent that it may be regarded as not worth living. Multidisciplinary management of chronic pain may lead to a better health status and diminish the adverse consequences of chronic pain.

Assessment of association between low back pain and paraspinal muscle atrophy using opposed-phase magnetic resonance imaging: a population-based study among young adults.

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional imaging study of young adults. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether severity of low back symptoms predicts atrophy in the paraspinal muscles of young adults. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although an increased fat content of the lumbar muscles has been observed among adults with chronic LBP, there is limited knowledge of this association in younger populations. METHODS: The population-based study sample consisted of 554 subjects (321 females and 233 males) from the 1986 Northern Finland Birth Cohort. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to cluster the subjects according to the low back symptoms and functional limitations at 18, 19, and 21 years. The mean age of the subjects at the time of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was 21 years (range, 20-23). Muscle atrophy was evaluated by assessing the fat content of the paraspinal muscles using Opposed-Phase MRI. The cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of the erector spinae and multifidus muscles were also measured. RESULTS: LCA analysis produced five clusters differing in symptoms, ranging from a cluster (n = 65) in which subjects had high likelihood of symptoms and functional limitations at all time points, to a cluster (n = 165) with no pain ever. The fat content of the multifidus muscles was significantly higher among women than men (14.0% vs. 5.3%, P < 0.001), but it was not significantly associated with symptom severity. The CSA of both erector spinae and multifidus muscles were significantly larger among men than women (P < 0.001 in all of the muscles), but were not associated with pain severity. CONCLUSION: Low back symptoms and functional limitations over a 3-year period were not associated with increased fat content or a reduction in the cross-sectional area of lumbar paraspinal muscles among young adults.

Factors related to seeking health care among adolescents with musculoskeletal pain.

Musculoskeletal pain is common among adolescents, but little is known about the factors that affect seeking health care for the problem. We examined the care-seeking pattern among adolescents reporting musculoskeletal pain. The study consisted of adolescents aged 16 years from the 1986 Northern Finland Birth Cohort who responded to a mailed questionnaire in 2001 and reported musculoskeletal pain over the preceding 6 months (n=5052). Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess whether enabling resources, need factors, personal health habits, and psychological problems were associated with seeking health care for musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskeletal pain during the preceding 6 months was reported by 68% of boys and 83% of girls in the study population. Only 16% of boys and 20% of girls reporting pain had sought medical care. Among both boys and girls, care-seeking was associated with being a member of a sports club (boys, odds ratio [OR] 2.1; girls, OR 1.5) and having one (boys, OR 2.1; girls, OR 1.8) or at least 2 (boys, OR 2.2; girls, OR 2.1) other health disorders. In addition, it was associated with a high physical activity level (OR 1.5) and low self-rated (OR 1.5) health among girls. Reporting pain in other anatomical areas decreased the likelihood of seeking care for pain among both genders. In conclusion, relatively few adolescents with musculoskeletal pain had consulted a health professional for the problem. Being physically active (trauma), participating in organized sport (accessibility of care), and having other health problems may explain why an adolescent seeks care for musculoskeletal pain.