Table 2 Associations Between Known Prognostic Factors and Activity Limitation at 3-Month Follow-up in Patients in Chiropractic and General Practice (Activity Limitation as Categorical Variable)
| Chiropractic Practice | General Practice | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Activity Limitation b n = 212 RR c (95% CI) |
High Activity Limitation b n = 161 RR c (95% CI) |
Medium Activity Limitation b n = 72 RR c (95% CI) |
High Activity Limitation b n = 118 RR c (95% CI) |
|
| Pain below knee or NRI a | 2.25 (1.16-4.38) | 5.14 (2.75-9.57) | 1.32 (0.44-3.97) | 5.73 (2.28-14.45) |
| NRI a | 4.38 (0.84-22.8) | 9.56 (2.00-45.5) | 3.48 (0.35-34.64) | 12.75 (1.62-100.43) |
| Poor general health a | 1.10 (0.71-1.69) | 2.90 (1.90-4.41) | 0.84 (0.39-1.80) | 4.48 (2.38-8.45) |
| Low expectations a | 2.11 (1.30-3.40) | 5.25 (3.29-8.37) | 1.11 (0.54-2.30) | 5.85 (3.10-11.02) |
| Duration ≥ 2 wk a | 2.51 (1.74-3.60) | 3.69 (2.48-5.48) | 1.96 (1.01-3.80) | 6.98 (3.63-13.42) |
| More than 3 previous episodes a | 1.61 (1.14-2.27) | 2.26 (1.54-3.31) | 1.20 (0.62-2.31) | 2.42 (1.33-4.41) |
| Depressed a | 1.92 (1.03-3.59) | 3.50 (1.92-6.38) | 1.31 (0.50-3.42) | 4.16 (1.89-9.17) |
| Musculoskeletal comorbidity a | 0.68 (0.38-1.23) | 1.72 (1.03-2.88) | 2.08 (0.83-5.25) | 6.91 (3.04-15.69) |
LBP, low back pain; NRI, nerve root involvement; RR, risk ratio.
a Pain below knee or NRI = LBP with leg pain below the knee or LBP with signs of NRI vs local LBP or LBP with leg pain above the knee; NRI = signs of nerve root involvement yes vs no; poor general health = 25% of patients reporting the worst general health vs 75% of patients reporting the best general health; low expectations = 25% of patients reporting the lowest recovery expectation vs 75% of patients reporting the highest recovery expectation; duration ≥ 2 wk vs duration < 2 wk; more than 3 previous episodes vs 0-3 previous episodes; depressed = Major Depression Inventory 0-50, sum score. Dichotomized: depressed if >19; musculoskeletal comorbidity yes vs no.
b Medium activity limitation: Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire proportional score (0-100) ≥8 and <30. High activity limitation: ≥30.
c RRs are relative to the lowest category of scores measured on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire.