Open AccessCluster Analysis of SF‐36 Scales as a Predictor of Spinal Pain Patients Response to a Multidisciplinary Pain Management Approach Beginning with Epidural Steroid Injection
Author(s) -
Loyd Ryan,
Fanciullo Gilbert J.,
Hanscom Brett,
Baird John C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
pain medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1526-4637
pISSN - 1526-2375
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2006.00158.x
Subject(s) - epidural steroid injection , multidisciplinary approach , pain management , medicine , cluster (spacecraft) , anesthesia , physical therapy , low back pain , alternative medicine , pathology , computer science , social science , sociology , programming language
Objective. To investigate whether grouping of patients with back pain into similar behavioral patient profiles using SF‐36 scores is predictive of outcome following 1‐year treatment in a multidisciplinary spine center beginning with referral for epidural steroid injection. Design. A prospective observational study was conducted on 81 consecutive patients selected for epidural steroid injections by independent physicians following common institutional criteria. Each patient completed a baseline SF‐36 questionnaire as well as a numerical response pain scale. The initial SF‐36 data were used to place each patient into one of three subgroups (Highly Functional, Emotional Adapters, and Dysfunctional). Follow‐up SF‐36 and numerical response pain scale questionnaires were completed by the patients at 1 month and 12 months following the initial epidural steroid injection. Results. Results revealed significant improvement among all three patient subgroups following multidisciplinary treatment at both 1 month and 12 months. Few differences in outcome occurred among the subgroups. Conclusion. The SF‐36‐determined subgroups did not predict response to a multidisciplinary pain clinic. All three subgroups showed similar improvement following treatment.