RESUMEN
Description of pain and the relationship with psychological factors was studied in 82 patients with low back pain. Both description of pain and psychological factors were found to have high loadings on one dimension, without being identical variables. A relationship was found between psychological factors and the duration of back pain but not to a degree to which the back pain is found to be explained somatically. The description of pain bore no relationship to the duration of back pain nor to the degree to which back pain can be somatically explained.
Asunto(s)
Afecto , Dolor de Espalda/psicología , Vocabulario , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Descriptions of pain were studied in 142 patients with low back complaints using a pain questionnaire derived from Leavitt. Firstly, the structure was determined by means of a principal components analysis for categorical data. The pain words can be grouped into 6 dimensions: evaluation, evaluation-intensity, constancy, sensory-pressing, sensory-pricking and sensory-cutting. A relation was found between the description of pain and the degree to which the complaints fit the organic diagnosis of low back pain. The nature and magnitude of this relation differed between centres.
Asunto(s)
Dolor de Espalda/psicología , Conducta Verbal , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Dolor de Espalda/diagnóstico , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Análisis de Regresión , Trastornos Somatomorfos/diagnóstico , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Patients who were to undergo surgical intervention for low back pain were investigated preoperatively. The effect of surgical intervention was determined after 6 months. The judgement of the neurosurgeon and of the patients themselves were used to assign patients to three outcome categories: satisfactory, moderate and unsatisfactory. Differences in several psychological and biological factors were found between the three categories. On the basis of preoperatively assembled data on psychological and other variables it is possible to predict the outcome of surgical intervention in 80% of the patients.