Clinical and emotional/behavioral characteristics of acute and chronic low-back pain

Abstract

To analyze clinical and emotional/behavioral characteristics of acute and chronic low-back pain that significantly affect quality-of-life. Fifty-three patients with pain syndromes were examined using the painDETECT questionnaire, the Visual Analog Scale for Pain, The McGill Pain Questionnaire and laboratory and instrumental methods of neurological assessment. A 'picture of the patient with acute and chronic pain' was built, a group of patients with neuropathic component of pain was described. The size of herniated discs was not correlated with VAS assessments and the neuropathic component had a mild effect on pain intensity. The significant correlation was found between the severity of pain and coping strategies for pain. The results indicate the importance of effective and safety pain stopping, in particular at the acute stage, to prevent pain chronification. A drug of choice in case of intensive pain and marked nociceptive component are highly effective and safe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in particular etoricoxib (Arcoxia), a selective COX-2 inhibitor.