Acute low-back-pain patients exhibit a fourfold increase in sick leave forother disorders: A case-control study

One hundred eighty patients with acute low-back pain (LBP) were compared to 608 age- and sex-matched controls with regard to somatic and personality c haracteristics. The low-back-pain group had a fourfold increase (median) in sick-leave episodes for reasons other than spinal morbidity during the pre ceding 2 years. In the same period, the median number of episodes of sick l eave for LBP was 1 in the patients and 0 in the controls. The mean number o f days off for other reasons was 34 (median = 20.5) in the patients compare d to 9 (median = 0) in the controls, and days off for LBP were 20 (median = 5) and 5 (median = 0), respectively. Analysis of other factors than those directly related to LBP disclosed significant differences in marital status and smoking habits between patients and controls. Furthermore, LBP patient s estimated their work to be physically heavier. We conclude that medical i ntervention should focus not only on the spine, but also on a wide range of other aspects of the patient's situation. Even in the acute phase of LBP, the previous sick-leave records should be analyzed to provide adequate meas ures to prevent future sick leaves. Presently, the sociomedical costs for a subset of the population who repeatedly seek help for LBP are significantl y higher than those for the non-LBP population.