Newman Richard I, Seres Joel L, Yospe Leonard P, Garlington Bonnie
Northwest Pain Center, Portland, Ore. 97216 U.S.A.
Pain. 1978 Feb;4(3):283-292. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(77)90140-3.
Thirty-six patients with low-back pain who had been treated in our multidisciplinary pain center returned for 80-week follow-up evaluations by the staff pscyhologist, physiatrist and physical therapist. Statistically significant gains were maintained in the reduction of prescription analgesics and on 4 measures of physical functioning: (a) long-sittimg-to-toe; (b) straight-leg-raise; (c) knee-to-chest; and (d) overall exercise performance. Despite verbal reports of continuing pain, most patients claimed they were coping much better with it, and they displayed a marked reduction in their utilization of medical resources for further pain treatment. These long-term results suggest that a multidisciplinary approach can offer an effective means of treating chronic low-back pain.
