PREDICTING POST TREATMENT SPINAL STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY IN WORK-DISABLED LOW-BACK-PAIN PATIENTS

This study examined whether posttreatment trunk strength and flexibili ty could be predicted from initial trunk strength and flexibility age, gender pain severity diagnosis, length of work disability return-to-w ork expectations, anxiety, and fear of reinjury among a group of 96 in jured workers with chronic occupational low back pain who completed a multidisciplinary work rehabilitation program. The results indicate th at initial average torque in hunk extension, age, gender and average p ain severity contribute significantly to prediction of final average t orque in hunk extension. Initial average torque in trunk flexion, age, and gender contributed significantly to prediction of final average t orque in trunk flexion, and age and initial range of motion contribute d significantly to the prediction of final hunk range of motion. The r esults indicate that prediction of trunk strength and range of motion can be accomplished from measures of hunk strength and flexibility and pain obtained prior to the onset of rehabilitation. Psychological mea sures were not predictive of posttreatment hunk strength and flexibili ty. The ability to predict posttreatment trunk strength should facilit ate clinical decision making in these complex cases.