PTJ
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

PHYS THER
Vol. 74, No. 5, May 1994, pp. 452-462
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Delitto, A
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Delitto, A

Article

Are measures of function and disability important in low back care?

A Delitto

Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261.

Currently, disablement due to low back syndrome (LBS) inflicts an extremely high cost to society, with yearly direct and indirect costs estimated in the billions of dollars. Patients with LBS often present a challenge for physical therapists trained in the evaluation of the physical nature of LBS. The psychosocial nature of a patient's complaint and the use of measures obtained from evaluation to guide patient management sometimes require interaction in a multidisciplinary environment. In this article, LBS will be discussed within the frameworks of Nagi's disablement pathway and an illness model described by Waddell. Both models suggest that to adequately treat LBS requires evaluation of the impairment, functional limitations, and disability using tools with adequate measurement characteristics. This article will focus on impairments and patient self-reports of quality of life and will discuss the relationship between impairments, functional limitations, and disability in LBS. Standardized quality of life measures are easily administered in everyday clinical settings and capture the patient's perceptions of the functional limitations and disability seen with LBS. Common self-reports are reviewed, and potential barriers to their use are discussed. Lacking an identifiable disease process in the majority of cases of LBS leaves most clinicians to deal with the impairments, functional limitations, and resultant disability. Physical therapists should, therefore, measure and gauge changes in all of these dimensions. To accomplish this, physical therapists must be willing to evaluate the dimensions of functional limitations and disabilities using tools that allow adherence to the same measurement standards (eg, reliability and validity) as those used to evaluate physical impairments.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ptjournalHome page
R. L Craik
Never Satisfied
Physical Therapy, November 1, 2005; 85(11): 1224 - 1237.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
L. Resnik and G. M Jensen
Using Clinical Outcomes to Explore the Theory of Expert Practice in Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy, December 1, 2003; 83(12): 1090 - 1106.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
L. Resnik and D. L Hart
Using Clinical Outcomes to Identify Expert Physical Therapists
Physical Therapy, November 1, 2003; 83(11): 990 - 1002.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
M. Davidson and J. L Keating
A Comparison of Five Low Back Disability Questionnaires: Reliability and Responsiveness
Physical Therapy, January 1, 2002; 82(1): 8 - 24.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
Philadelphia Panel Members, Clinical Specialty Experts, J. Albright, R. Allman, R. P. Bonfiglio, A. Conill, B. Dobkin, A. A Guccione, S. Hasson, R. Russo, et al.
Philadelphia Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines on Selected Rehabilitation Interventions: Overview and Methodology
Physical Therapy, October 1, 2001; 81(10): 1629 - 1640.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
Philadelphia Panel Members, Clinical Specialty Experts, J. Albright, R. Allman, R. P. Bonfiglio, A. Conill, B. Dobkin, A. A Guccione, S. M Hasson, R. Russo, et al.
Philadelphia Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines on Selected Rehabilitation Interventions for Low Back Pain
Physical Therapy, October 1, 2001; 81(10): 1641 - 1674.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
Philadelphia Panel Members, Clinical Specialty Experts, J. Albright, R. Allman, R. P. Bonfiglio, A. Conill, B. Dobkin, A. A Guccione, S. Hasson, R. Russo, et al.
Philadelphia Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines on Selected Rehabilitation Interventions for Shoulder Pain
Physical Therapy, October 1, 2001; 81(10): 1719 - 1730.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Clin RehabilHome page
M M. Hutten, H Hermens, and G Zilvold
Differences in treatment outcome between subgroups of patients with chronic low back pain using lumbar dynamometry and psychological aspects
Clinical Rehabilitation, May 1, 2001; 15(5): 479 - 488.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
J. M Fritz and J. J Irrgang
A Comparison of a Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire and the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale
Physical Therapy, February 1, 2001; 81(2): 776 - 788.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ptjournalHome page
K. S Maluf, S. A Sahrmann, and L. R Van Dillen
Use of a Classification System to Guide Nonsurgical Management of a Patient With Chronic Low Back Pain
Physical Therapy, November 1, 2000; 80(11): 1097 - 1111.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1994 by the American Physical Therapy Association.