Table 3

Relative probability of recovery from chronic low back pain at 11-year follow-up according to the combined effect of number of chronic pain sites and pain-related disability, score on the HADS and self-rated general health at HUNT2

1–3 pain sites4–9 pain sites
No of personsNo of casesMulti adjusted* RR (95% CI)No of personsNo of casesMulti adjusted* RR (95% CI)p Value†
Pain-related disability
 No disability7144481.00 (reference)4222110.84 (0.75 to 0.94)0.002
 Work disability4662700.94 (0.85 to 1.03)5552560.77 (0.69 to 0.86)0.002
 Leisure disability2711720.98 (0.88 to 1.09)2361020.71 (0.61 to 0.83)<0.001
 Work and leisure disability15107560.81 (0.75 to 0.87)300410260.59 (0.54 to 0.64)<0.001
HADS
 No depression or anxiety215112251.00 (reference)24719880.75 (0.70 to 0.80)<0.001
 Depression161840.92 (0.79 to 1.07)3111070.66 (0.56 to 0.77)0.002
 Anxiety2591421.00 (0.89 to 1.12)5721930.65 (0.58 to 0.73)<0.001
 Depression and anxiety138690.92 (0.77 to 1.09)3991180.58 (0.49 to 0.68)<0.001
Self-rated general health
 Very good/good218713021.00 (reference)26178380.57 (0.53 to 0.61)<0.001
 Not all good/poor9044170.78 (0.72 to 0.85)17518140.82 (0.77 to 0.87)0.301
  • *Adjusted for age (19–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59 and >60 years), education (primary school and lower secondary school, upper secondary school, higher education <4 years, higher education >4 years and unknown), body mass index (normal weight, overweight and obesity), physical activity (inactive, low activity, moderate activity, high activity and unknown), gender, smoking (never-smoker, previous smoker, current smoker and unknown) and physical work demands (mostly sedentary, much walking, much walking and lifting, heavy physical work and unknown).

  • †p Value from stratified analysis of number of pain sites by general health, physical disability and HADS score.

  • HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HUNT, Nord-Trøndelag Health Study; RR, risk ratio.