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J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2021 Dec;28(4):746-756. doi: 10.1007/s10880-020-09759-9. Epub 2021 Feb 07.

The Relationships Between Self-reported Pain Intensity, Pain Interference, and Quality of Life Among Injured U.S. Service Members With and Without Low Back Pain.

Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings

Jessica R Watrous, Cameron T McCabe, Gretchen Jones, Brittney Mazzone, Shawn Farrokhi, Susan L Eskridge, Brad D Hendershot, Michael R Galarneau

Affiliations

  1. Medical Modeling, Simulation, and Mission Support Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA. [email protected].
  2. Leidos, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA. [email protected].
  3. Medical Modeling, Simulation, and Mission Support Department, Naval Health Research Center, 140 Sylvester Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
  4. Leidos, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA.
  5. Axiom, San Diego, CA, USA.
  6. Research and Surveillance Division, DoD-VA Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), San Diego, CA, USA.
  7. Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Chiropractic Services and Sports Medicine, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
  8. Research and Surveillance Division, DoD-VA Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), Bethesda, MD, USA.
  9. Department of Rehabilitation, Research and Development Section, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.
  10. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.

PMID: 33550539 DOI: 10.1007/s10880-020-09759-9

Abstract

Low back pain is a prevalent military and veteran health problem and individuals injured on deployment may be at particularly high risk of pain conditions. Given that increasing numbers of active duty and veteran military personnel are seeking care in community settings, it is critical that health care providers are aware of military health issues. The current study examined the prevalence of low back pain among individuals with deployment-related injuries, compared their self-reported pain intensity and interference ratings, and assessed the relationship between low back pain, self-reported pain ratings, and quality of life. Almost half of participants had low back pain diagnoses, and individuals with low back pain reported significantly higher intensity and interference due to their pain than individuals without low back pain. Finally, the relationship between low back pain and quality of life was explained by self-reported pain indices, underscoring the importance of patient-centered metrics in pain treatment.

© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.

Keywords: Military; Pain; Patient-reported outcomes; Veterans

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