Assessment of chronic non-specific pain syndromes in patients with dorsopathies of the lumbosacral spine in a manual therapy clinic

Spondylogenic factors, that have a pathological effect on the somatosensory nervous system, cause loss of function, increase pain sensitivity, and distort the pain phenomenon, leading it to chronicity. The impact of comprehensive treatment on patients with dorsopathy in a manual therapy clinic was assessed. Dorsopathy was caused by chronic nonspecific low back pain, radiculopathy, and neuropathic pain syndrome, due to degenerative-dystrophic and myofascial disorders. The combination of drug therapy, including drug induced blockades and manual therapy, significantly reduced low back pain intensity in 148 patients of group 2. Patients with neuropathic pain syndrome demonstrated less pain regression (both in the back and leg) after treatment (p<0.05) compared to those of group 2. Patients in group 1 with a reduction in clinical symptom severity after combination therapy reported a significant reduction in the pain intensity compared to pre-therapy values both in the back (-0.19 vs. 0.73; p>=0.35) and in the leg (-0.21 vs. 0.67). Chronic neuropathic pain is more difficult for patients to tolerate and significantly worsens their quality of life compared to nociceptive pain, causes central sensitization and complicates treatment.