Trial reportPM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation2016
Recurrence of Pain After Usual Nonoperative Care for Symptomatic Lumbar Disk Herniation: Analysis of Data From the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial.
Trial report in PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prognostic factors for treatment success of conservative management and role for physiotherapy in radicular pain caused by a lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- Do medical conditions predispose to the development of chronic back pain? A longitudinal co-twin control study of middle-aged males with 11-year follow-up.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2018Observational
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine risks and predictors of recurrent leg and low back pain (LBP) after unstructured, usual nonoperative care for subacute/chronic symptomatic lumbar disk herniation (LDH).
designSecondary analysis of data from a concurrent randomized trial and observational cohort study.
settingThirteen outpatient spine practices.
participantsA total of 199 participants with resolution of leg pain and 142 participants with resolution of LBP from among 478 participants receiving usual nonoperative care for symptomatic LDH. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Potential predictors of recurrence included time to initial symptom resolution, sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, work-related factors, imaging-detected herniation characteristics, and baseline pain bothersomeness. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Leg pain and LBP bothersomeness were assessed by the use of a 0-6 numerical scale at up to 4 years of follow-up. For individuals with initial resolution of leg pain, we defined recurrent leg pain as having leg pain, receiving lumbar epidural steroid injections, or undergoing lumbar surgery subsequent to initial leg pain resolution. We calculated cumulative risks of recurrence by using Kaplan-Meier survival plots and examined predictors of recurrence using Cox proportional hazards models. We used similar definitions for LBP recurrence.
resultsOne- and 3-year cumulative recurrence risks were 23% and 51% for leg pain, and 28% and 70% for LBP, respectively. Early leg pain resolution did not predict future leg pain recurrence. Complete leg pain resolution (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31-0.72) and posterolateral herniation location (aHR 0.61; 95% CI 0.39-0.97) predicted a lower risk of leg pain recurrence, and joint problems (aHR 1.89; 95% CI 1.16-3.05) and smoking (aHR 1.81; 95% CI 1.07-3.05) predicted a greater risk of leg pain recurrence. For participants with complete initial resolution of pain, recurrence risks at 1 and 3 years were 16% and 41% for leg pain and 24% and 59% for LBP, respectively.
conclusionsRecurrence of pain is common after unstructured, usual nonsurgical care for LDH. These risk estimates depend on the specific definitions applied, and the predictors identified require replication in future studies.
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