Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24559519›Full record

SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2014

A systematic review and meta-synthesis of the impact of low back pain on people's lives.

Robert Froud, Sue Patterson, Sandra Eldridge, Clive Seale, Tamar Pincus, Dévan Rajendran, Christian Fossum, Martin Underwood

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04266366 (Comparison of Cost and Cost- Effectiveness of a Face-to-Face Rehabilitation Program vs an Telemedicine Program on Disability, Pain, Fear of Movement, Quality of Life and Spinal Mobility in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 166 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
166citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
27.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04266366 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

Comparison of Cost and Cost- Effectiveness of a Face-to-Face Rehabilitation Program vs an Telemedicine Program on Disability, Pain, Fear of Movement, Quality of Life and Spinal Mobility in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversidad de AlmeriaRan2020 to 2022Enrolled540ConditionsLow Back PainArmsFace-to-Face Rehabilitation program, Telemedicine program
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

166 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 433 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Moving towards the use of artificial intelligence in pain management.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025
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  5. Mobile technologies for rehabilitation in non-specific spinal disorders: a systematic review of the efficacy and potential for implementation in low- and middle-income countries.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023
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106 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.

Robert FroudWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. r.froud@warwick.ac.uk.
Sue Patterson
Sandra Eldridge
Clive Seale
Tamar Pincus
Dévan Rajendran
Christian Fossum
Martin Underwood
Queen Mary University of London · GBUniversity of Warwick · GBBrunel University of London · GBHøyskolen Kristiania · NORoyal Holloway University of London · GBUniversity of Bahrain · BH

Funding

Arthritis Research UK 19480Versus Arthritis 19480
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a common and costly problem that many interpret within a biopsychosocial model. There is renewed concern that core-sets of outcome measures do not capture what is important. To inform debate about the coverage of back pain outcome measure core-sets, and to suggest areas worthy of exploration within healthcare consultations, we have synthesised the qualitative literature on the impact of low back pain on people's lives.

methodsTwo reviewers searched CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PEDro, and Medline, identifying qualitative studies of people's experiences of non-specific LBP. Abstracted data were thematic coded and synthesised using a meta-ethnographic, and a meta-narrative approach.

resultsWe included 49 papers describing 42 studies. Patients are concerned with engagement in meaningful activities; but they also want to be believed and have their experiences and identity, as someone 'doing battle' with pain, validated. Patients seek diagnosis, treatment, and cure, but also reassurance of the absence of pathology. Some struggle to meet social expectations and obligations. When these are achieved, the credibility of their pain/disability claims can be jeopardised. Others withdraw, fearful of disapproval, or unable or unwilling to accommodate social demands. Patients generally seek to regain their pre-pain levels of health, and physical and emotional stability. After time, this can be perceived to become unrealistic and some adjust their expectations accordingly.

conclusionsThe social component of the biopsychosocial model is not well represented in current core-sets of outcome measures. Clinicians should appreciate that the broader impact of low back pain includes social factors; this may be crucial to improving patients' experiences of health care. Researchers should consider social factors to help develop a portfolio of more relevant outcome measures.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessPain MeasurementQuality of LifeSurveys and QuestionnairesActivities of Daily LivingAdaptation, PsychologicalEmotionsHumansLow Back PainPredictive Value of TestsSeverity of Illness IndexSocial Behavior

Identifiers

PMID24559519
PMCPMC3932512
OpenAlexW2124564463

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.