Kovacs et al reported models for evaluating neck pain patients seen in routine clinical practice. One model predicts improvement in the neck pain. The authors are from Hospital Universitario HLA-Moncloa and the Spanish Back Pain Research Network in Madrid.
Patient selection: neck pain
Parameters:
(1) 10 cm VAS score for arm pain
(2) 10 cm VAS score for neck pain
(3) clinical diagnosis
(4) disc degeneration on imaging studies
(5) chronic pain (>= 90 days)
(6) employment status
(7) sex
(8) treated with NRT (neuro-reflexotherapy)
points for arm pain =
= 3.1143 - (0.31286 * (arm score))
points for neck pain =
= (0.26857 * (neck score)) - 0.0095238
|
Parameter
|
Finding
|
Points
|
|
clinical diagnosis
|
disc herniation or protrusion
|
0
|
|
|
spinal stenosis
|
1
|
|
|
nonspecific
|
2
|
|
disc degeneration on imaging
|
no
|
0
|
|
|
yes
|
1.2
|
|
chronic pain
|
no
|
0
|
|
|
yes
|
2.7
|
|
employment status
|
financial assistance for neck pain
|
0
|
|
|
non-worker
|
2.1
|
|
|
working
|
2.7
|
|
sex
|
female
|
0
|
|
|
male
|
1.1
|
|
therapy with NRT
|
no
|
0
|
|
|
yes
|
10
|
total score =
= SUM(points for all 8 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 25.5
• The higher the score the more likely that the neck pain will improve.
X =
= (0.23053 * (score)) - 2.9808
probability of improvement =
= 1 / (1 + EXP((-1) * X))
