Back pain as a secondary disability in persons with lower limb amputations

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 82; no. 6; pp. 731 - 734
• Main Authors: Ehde, Dawn M., Smith, Douglas G., Czerniecki, Joseph M., Campbell, Kellye M., Malchow, Dee M., Robinson, Lawrence R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-06-2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amputation; Amputation - rehabilitation; Back pain; Back Pain - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Diseases of the spine; Female; Health surveys; Humans; Leg; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pain measurement; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Rehabilitation; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics, Nonparametric; Washington - epidemiology; Washington; Back pain; Rehabilitation; Health surveys; Pain measurement; Amputation; Leg; Human; Secondary; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Lower limb; Spine disease; Retrospective; Disability; Dorsalgia; Surgery; Cohort study; Cross sectional study; Rachialgia; Dorsal spine; Complication
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1053/apmr.2001.21962

Ehde DM, Smith DG, Czerniecki JM, Campbell KM, Malchow DM, Robinson LR. Back pain as a secondary disability in persons with lower limb amputations. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:731-4. Objective: To evaluate the frequency, duration, intensity, and interference of back pain in a sample of persons with lower limb amputations. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional survey. Setting: Community-based survey from clinical databases. Participants: Participants who were 6 or more months post lower limb amputation (n = 255). Intervention: An amputation pain survey that included several standardized pain measures. Main Outcome Measures: Frequency, duration, intensity, and interference of back pain. Results: Of the participants who completed the survey (return rate, 56%), 52% reported experiencing persistent, bothersome back pain. Of these, 43% reported average back pain intensity in the mild range (1-4 on 0-10 rating scale) and 25% reported pain of moderate intensity (5-6 on 0-10 scale). Most respondents with back pain rated the interference of their pain on function as none to minimal. However, nearly 25% of those with back pain described it as frequent, of severe intensity (≥7 on 0-10 scale), and as severely interfering with daily activities including social, recreational, family, and work activities. Conclusions: Back pain may be surprisingly common in persons with lower limb amputations, and, for some who experience it, may greatly interfere with function.