Clinical Analysis of Low Back Pain Patients at a Low Back Pain Clinic for 6 Months.

Kim, Young Soo; Yoon, Soo Han; Park, Hyung Chun; Kim, Sang Jin

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 1987;16(4): 1033-1040.

Young Soo Kim, Soo Han Yoon, Hyung Chun Park, Sang Jin Kim

Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

ABSTRACT

2268 cases of low back pain were analysed at the low back pain clinic, Department of Neurosurgery, Yongdong Severance Hospital Yonsei University College of Medicine from January to July 1986. 1) About 85.4% were in between 20's and 50's of age groups. 30's(25.7%) and 40's(24.7%) were common. Teenagers were about 5.9%. Male to female ratio was 1 : 1.1. 2) By occupations housewives were most common(40.5%), office workers 26.4% light workers 13.2%, and students 12.7% in order. But drivers(2.4%) and heavy workers(1.9%) were relatively rare. 3) About 30.7% of all patients had some history of trauma. Among them lifting was most common in 45.8%, exercise 17.8%, and traffic accident 10.8%. 4) About 37.8%(860 cases) had had various treatments before they came to our clinic. Among them, 63.6% had visited to other hospitals. 98 cases had had lumbar disc surgery at other hospitals. Among 860 cases physical therapies were 33.8%, acupunctures 22.8%, herb medications 13.4%, moxibustions 12.5%, chiropractics 5.5%, and religious methods 1.4%. 5) Diagnostic work up were done in 85%. Plain spine X-rays were taken in 97.8%, spine CT scan 53.7%, and myelography(Iopainidol) 7.6%. 6) Etiology of the low back pain were herniated lumbar disc 44.8%, mechanical low back pain syndromes 26.4%, degenerative spondylosis 22.1%, traumas 2.8%, spinal cord tumors 1.3%, failed back surgery syndromes 1.1%, spondylolysis 0.9%, spondylolisthesis 0.3% and infections 0.3%. 7) About 15.8% of all patients were admitted. Surgical treatments were done in 12.1%(275 cases), among them chemonucleolysis with chymopapain(Discase) were 6.6%(151 cases), lumbar discectomy 5.5%(122 cases) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion 2 cases. 8) In the past history 98 cases(4.3%) had had lumbar disc surgery at the other hospitals. Among them, 8 cases were reoperated.