Quantitative evaluation of low back and labor pain. Memory of pain experienced during labor and the intensity of low back pain in older women with discopathy

Abstract

<b>Background</b><br /> The aim of this study was to determine the intensity of previously experienced labor pains in the context of self-evaluated intensity of discopathy-related low back pain in female patients.<br /> <br /> <b>Participants and procedure</b><br /> The retrospective study included 57 women who received neurosurgical consultation under ambulatory conditions. The intensity of low back pain experienced by every patient was scored using the 11-grade Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11; ranging from 0 to 10 points). Simultaneously, an obstetrical history was collected from every patient (year of delivery, intensity of labor pain assessed with NRS-11).<br /> <br /> <b>Results</b><br /> Overall, 57 women, aged between 27 and 88 years (mean 52.8 ±15.6 years), were examined. The age at delivery ranged between 17 and 35 years (mean 25.6 ±5.6 years). The patient-reported intensity of pain in the lumbosacral spine, assessed with NRS-11, ranged between 5 and 10 points (mean 7.9 ±1.7 points), while the intensity of labor pain ranged between 3 and 10 points (mean 8.6 ±1.9 points). Labor pain was perceived as more significantly intense than low back pain localized in the lumbosacral spine. In four cases (7%), the intensity of low back pain was re-scored upon asking about the intensity of previous labor pain.<br /> <br /> <b>Conclusions</b><br /> Labor pain experienced during full-term vaginal delivery is characterized by significantly higher intensity as compared to low back pain. The memory of pain experienced during previous labors can attenuate the intensity of discopathy-related low back pain.