Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Relationship to Mental Health Symptoms and Quality of Life After a Deployment-related Lower Limb Amputation

Study Design. Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Objective. To assess the prevalence and association of low back pain (LBP) with psychosocial factors in Service members with amputations. Summary of Background Data. LBP is a common secondary health condition after amputation with important implications related to function and quality of life. A growing body of evidence suggests that psychosocial factors influence LBP in patients without amputation. However, there is a dearth of information regarding the association of psychosocial factors and LBP after amputation. Methods. Seventy-nine individuals with lower limb amputations who were a part of the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project were included in the analysis. Data on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and quality of life (QOL) were collected from the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project, while data on LBP and LBP chronicity were extracted from the Military Health System Data Repository. General linear models were utilized to analyze associations between LBP and psychosocial factors, while controlling for injury severity and time since amputation. Results. In individuals with amputations, 19.0% had acute LBP and 49.4% had recurrent LBP. Individuals with amputations and recurrent LBP reported higher PTSD symptom severity compared with those without LBP (B = 9.213, P 
Source: Spine - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: EPIDEMIOLOGY Source Type: research