Description of Common Clinical Presentations and Associated Short-Term Physical Therapy Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Neck Pain.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of clinical presentations of neck pain on short-term
physical therapy outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of pair-matched groups from
a clinical cohort. SETTING: Thirteen outpatient physical therapy clinics in 1 health
care system. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=1069) grouped by common clinical presentations
of neck pain: nonspecific neck pain (NSNP) with duration <4 weeks; NSNP with duration
>4 weeks; neck pain with arm pain; neck pain with headache; and neck pain from whiplash.
INTERVENTION: Conservative interventions provided by physical therapists. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Neck Disability Index (NDI) and numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) recorded
at the initial and last visits. The main outcome of interest was achieving recovery
status on the NDI. Changes in NDI and NPRS were compared between clinical presentation
groups. RESULTS: Compared with patients presenting with NSNP >4 weeks, patients with
NSNP <4 weeks had increased odds of achieving recovery status on the NDI (P<.0001)
and demonstrated the greatest changes in clinical outcomes of pain (P≤.0001) and disability
(P≤.0001). Patients with neck pain and arm pain demonstrated an increased odds of
achieving recovery status on the NDI (P=.04) compared with patients presenting with
NSNP >4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Treating patients with NSNP within <4 weeks of onset of
symptoms may lead to improved clinical outcomes from physical therapy compared with
other common clinical presentations.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Disability evaluationNeck pain
Outcome assessment (health care)
Rehabilitation
Adult
Disability Evaluation
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neck Pain
Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care)
Pain Measurement
Physical Therapy Modalities
Retrospective Studies
Time Factors
Utah
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12757Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.apmr.2015.06.012Publication Info
Horn, Maggie E; Brennan, Gerard P; George, Steven Z; Harman, Jeffrey S; & Bishop,
Mark D (2015). Description of Common Clinical Presentations and Associated Short-Term Physical Therapy
Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Neck Pain. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 96(10). pp. 1756-1762. 10.1016/j.apmr.2015.06.012. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12757.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Steven Zachary George
Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. George’s primary interest is research involving biopsychosocial models for the
prevention and treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. His long term
goals are to 1) improve accuracy for predicting who is going to develop chronic pain;
and 2) identify non-pharmacological treatment options that limit the development of
chronic pain conditions. Dr. George is an active member of the American Physical
Therapy Association, United States Association of the Study of
Maggie Elizabeth Horn
Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
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