Responsiveness of pain, functional capacity tests, and disability level in individuals with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

BACKGROUND

Clinical outcomes are very important in clinical assessment, and responsiveness is a component inside the outcome measures that needs to be investigated, particularly in chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP).

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the responsiveness of pain, functional capacity tests, and disability in individuals with CNSLBP.

METHODS

Twenty subjects were assessed in pain using the following methods: visual analog scale (VAS) and numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), functional capacity tests: functional reach test (FRT), five-time sit-to-stand test (5 TSST), and two-minute step test (2 MST), and disability level: modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ), Thai version before and after 2-week intervention session. For interventions, the subjects received education, spinal manipulative therapy, and individual therapeutic exercise twice a week, for a total of two weeks. The statistics analyzed were change scores, effect size (ES), and standardized response mean (SRM).

RESULTS

The most responsive parameter for individuals with CNSLBP was pain as measured by numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) (ES -0.986, SRM -0.928) and five-time sit-to-stand test (5 TSST) (SRM -0.846).

CONCLUSION

This study found that NPRS pain and 5 TSST were responsive in individuals with CNSLBP at two weeks after the beginning of interventions.