A new study has looked at the predictive ability of the STarT Back Tool in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP).
The cohort study enrolled 290 people who already had CLBP. They were all assessed with the STarT Back Tool at enrolment into the study and followed for one year, at which time disability, pain and global perceived change were assessed to see if the STarT Back Tool was predictive of any of those outcomes.
This study adds to the literature on STarT Back Tool’s generalisability across populations.
While the STarT Back Tool provided an acceptable indication of future disability in this population, it performed poorly with respect to pain and global perceived change at the 1-year follow-up. Reliance on the SBT as the sole indicator of prognosis in CLBP is not recommended.
> From: Kendell et al., J Physiother 64 (2018) 107-113 . All rights reserved to the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Click here for the online summary.
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