SPECIFIED DIAGNOSIS IN 532 CASES OF BACK PAIN

In the city of Malmo, Sweden, a project was started to improve the reh abilitation of patients with back pain. Among 532 patients with back p ain who were on sick leave for an average of 98 days the year precedin g the consultation, very few specific diagnoses were made in spite of a thorough clinical and radiological examination. Only five of the pat ients were cured by surgery. During the same period 103 patients were operated on for disc herniation or nerve root stenosis at the Orthopae dic Department at Malmo General Hospital. Thus the routines for somati c diagnosis of the medical service in Malmo are adequate and an improv ement would have very little effect on the expenditures for sick leave and early retirement. As suggested in this paper social and psycholog ical factors are of greater importance in the rehabilitation and we sh ould focus less on the physical problems of the patient.