Hip Symptoms, Physical Performance, and Health Status in Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Investigation.
Gregory E Hicks, J Megan Sions, Teonette O Velasco
PMID 29111171WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with chronic low back pain were more likely to have hip symptoms: 53.7% versus 13% without pain.
Those with both hip symptoms and low back pain moved more slowly and reported worse social and emotional health.
Key findings
01At least one hip symptom was present in 53.7% of participants with chronic low back pain and 13% of pain-free participants.
02Older adults with chronic low back pain and co-existing hip symptoms were significantly slower than pain-free peers during stair ascent and repeated chair rise.
03Adding hip symptoms to chronic low back pain was associated with worse social function, mental health and role limitations due to emotional problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional baseline analysis, so it cannot show that hip symptoms caused chronic low back pain, slower movement or worse quality of life. The sample was preliminary and small for subgroup comparisons; only seven participants without CLBP had hip symptoms, so that group was not analyzed. The CLBP group had a higher BMI than the no-CLBP group, and models adjusted for BMI, but this does not establish a causal relationship. Hip symptoms were selected as proposed indicators of hip OA, but they could also reflect other hip diagnoses such as bursitis. Radiographic hip OA was self-reported, so recall bias may affect that prevalence estimate. The study could not determine whether low back pain and hip pain are distinct conditions or pain from one location felt in the other.
Declared interests
No conflict-of-interest declaration is provided in the supplied text; publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as proof that hip symptoms cause chronic low back pain or that treating hip symptoms will improve function or quality of life. This was a cross-sectional baseline analysis, so it shows association, not cause or treatment effect.