Mean (SD) age (years) | 43.3 (14.4) |
Male | 527 (54.8) |
Primary care clinician: |
General practitioner | 184 (19.0) |
Physiotherapist | 755 (77.9) |
Chiropractor | 30 (3.1) |
Born in Australia | 680 (70.2) |
Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander | 8 (0.8) |
Smoker | 188 (19.4) |
Exercising regularly | 564 (58.2) |
Self rated health: |
Poor | 3 (0.3) |
Fair | 63 (6.5) |
Good | 338 (34.9) |
Very good | 397 (41.0) |
Excellent | 168 (17.3) |
Highest level of education diploma or higher* | 411 (42.4) |
Details of lower back pain: | |
Previous episode | 727 (75.0) |
Previous sick leave | 381 (39.3) |
Previous surgery | 26 (2.7) |
Sudden onset | 797 (82.2) |
Compensation case† | 189 (19.2) |
Currently taking medication | 399 (41.20) |
Mean (SD) duration (days) | 4.9 (3.3) |
Mean (SD) days of forced reduction of usual activities | 3.1 (2.8) |
Interference with function from lower back pain: |
Not at all | 59 (6.1) |
Little bit | 133 (13.7) |
Moderate | 215 (22.2) |
Quite a bit | 373 (38.5) |
Extreme | 189 (19.5) |
Leg pain | 199 (20.5) |
Intensity of lower back pain: |
Very mild | 22 (2.1) |
Mild | 85 (8.8) |
Moderate | 349 (36.0) |
Severe | 426 (44.0) |
Very severe | 87 (8.9) |
Mean (SD) days off from work or school from lower back pain (n=814) | 1.5 (2.2) |
Working before injury | 770 (79.5) |
Changed work status as result (n=770) | 291 (38.0) |