Treating chronic low back pain. II. Long-term follow-up

Appraisal of chronic low back pain (CLBP) treatment outcome is incomplete unless results can be shown to be stable over an extended follow-up period. This paper concentrates on methods by which the long-term trends of objective outcome assessments can be studied and predictions developed given incomplete data. Employment and litigation status, self-rating of pain, activities, medications, and hospitalizations related to pain were periodically assessed in up to 210 graduates of a CLBP treatment program, over a period of 6 months to 5 years following treatment. Favorable outcomes were achieved by many of the respondents, and a good degree of stability in outcomes was observed in several of the measures. Few indicators were found which adequately predict long-term outcomes, however. Attrition in the sample and other possible systematic sources of bias are discussed.