Sions Jaclyn Megan, Hicks Gregory Evan
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
Pain Med. 2017 May 1;18(5):866-870. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnw107.
Back stiffness is a common complaint among older adults with low back pain. Nonetheless, self-reported back stiffness has received little exploration in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of self-reported low back stiffness with physical health and low back pain-related disability among older adults with low back pain.
Cross-sectional analysis.
Data included in this study were obtained from the Retirement Community Back Pain Study, a population-based survey of older adults.
Participants completed the Medical Outcomes Survey Short-Form 36 and the modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire. Physical health, derived from the Short Form-36, was represented by the physical component summary score. Back stiffness was rated on a 0-10 scale, where 0 indicated "no back stiffness."
Covariates-that is, intensity and duration of low back pain, age, sex, weight, education level, and comorbidities-explained 27% of the variance in physical health ( P < 0.0001) and 38% of the variance in low back pain-related disability ( P = 0.0002). Self-reported stiffness explained an additional 6% of the variance in physical health ( P < 0.0001) and 10% of the variance in low back pain-related disability ( P < 0.0001).
Back stiffness in older, community-dwelling adults with low back pain may help explain physical health and low back pain-related disability, above and beyond demographics and pain. Future longitudinal research is needed to evaluate low back stiffness as a predictor of physical health and disability. Ultimately, assessment and treatment of back stiffness in older adults with low back pain may improve patient outcomes.
背部僵硬是老年腰痛患者的常见主诉。然而，在该患者群体中，自我报告的背部僵硬情况鲜有研究。本研究的目的是探讨老年腰痛患者自我报告的下背部僵硬与身体健康及下背痛相关残疾之间的关联。
横断面分析。
本研究纳入的数据来自退休社区背痛研究，这是一项针对老年人的基于人群的调查。
参与者完成了医学结局调查简表36和改良的奥斯维斯特下背痛问卷。从简表36得出的身体健康状况由身体成分汇总得分表示。背部僵硬程度按0至10分进行评分，其中0表示“无背部僵硬”。
协变量，即下背痛的强度和持续时间、年龄、性别、体重、教育水平和合并症，解释了27%的身体健康状况差异（P < 0.0001）和38%的下背痛相关残疾差异（P = 0.0002）。自我报告的僵硬程度额外解释了6%的身体健康状况差异（P < 0.0001）和10%的下背痛相关残疾差异（P < 0.0001）。
在社区居住的老年腰痛患者中，背部僵硬可能有助于解释除人口统计学因素和疼痛之外的身体健康状况及下背痛相关残疾情况。未来需要进行纵向研究，以评估下背部僵硬作为身体健康和残疾预测指标的作用。最终，对老年腰痛患者的背部僵硬进行评估和治疗可能会改善患者的预后。
