Comparison of proforma based history taking with descriptive history taking in the evaluation of low back pain: A hospital based study

Abstract

Background: Lower back pain is the most common disorder in the population. It affects the both gender. Evaluation of lower back is the can be done with various methods. The present study aimed to compare the Proforma based history taking with descriptive history taking in the evaluation of low back pain. Materials and Methods: This study was done in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, SUT Academy of Medical Sciences, Vattapara, Kerala. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria 105 patients were included in the study. Study procedure was explained to each patient and informed consent was obtained. All the patients demographic, clinical data was recorded. Each patient was given set of questions to fill. After filling they were subjected to physical and clinical examination. Both the results were analyzed with SPSS (16.0) version software. The data was expressed in number and percentage. Results: Males were more compared to females. 40 patients have age between 21-30 years and only 8 have age between 61-70 years. 57 give history of acute on set of pain. 53.33% had 3 weeks -3 months duration of lower back pain. 65.89% had radiation type of pain and 53.33% had pain due to stress. In the diagnosis of pain pattern 50 showed mechanical and 48 showed non-specific in MIND questionnaire. 80% patients had concurrence of diagnosis. Conclusion: The MIND questionnaire has been shown to provide a rapid and comprehensive proforma to evaluate low back pain patterns.