Table 3 Characteristics of three groups of patients with different pain trajectories and univariate probability for improvement

Gender (female)

30.1

42.2

43.1

0.002

0.589

0.424

0.818

Age, mean (SD)

47.6 (14.4)

47.4 (13.8)

47.5 (12.2)

0.845

0.999

0.988

1.010

Education (high vocational/ university)

60.1

57.8

67.9

0.448

0.883

0.641

1.217

Radiating pain into the leg

43.8

42.9

29.7

0.817

0.964

0.707

1.315

Radiating pins and needles

31.0

28.0

22.7

0.407

0.932

0.788

1.102

Time since complaints 1st started

11.6 (12.3)

11.4 (12.2)

11.4 (11.6)

0.855

0.999

0.986

1.011

Duration of current episode (years)

3.2 (6.2)

1.9 (4.8)

1.7 (3.6)

0.003

0.958

0.932

0.986

SF-6D baseline score

0.73 (0.11)

0.73 (0.10)

0.78 (0.10)

0.523

0.613

0.137

2.746

ODI baseline score

24.8 (15.8)

26.4 (15.4)

15.5 (12.7)

0.525

1.004

0.992

1.015

Concomitant complaints present

58.8

51.4

54.3

0.048

0.731

0.535

0.998

Pain avoidant

73.5

73.6

62.1

0.938

0.986

0.697

1.397

Previous specialist visit

52.2

64.2

69.3

0.002

1.640

1.201

2.240

Previous visit neurologist

28.3

20.9

19.2

0.026

0.819

0.687

0.976

Previous visit orthopedic surgeon

28.8

19.7

16.9

0.006

0.847

0.753

0.953

Previous visit rehabilitation

7.1

5.0

2.2

0.255

0.912

0.779

1.068

Previous visit pain clinic

8.8

8.5

5.4

0.866

0.991

0.888

1.105

Medication (categorical)

 None (ref.)

26.1

28.9

48.2

0.231

 Rarely

23.9

24.6

24.3

0.738

0.929

0.603

1.430

 Regularly not daily

35.4

28.4

20.8

0.113

0.724

0.486

1.080

 Daily

14.6

18.2

6.7

0.640

1.124

0.688

1.837

Previous physiotherapy

 Treated no effect (ref.)

72.6

63.5

60.4

0.037

 Treated effect

3.1

5.9

10.5

0.069

2.170

0.943

4.998

 Not treated

24.3

30.6

29.1

0.044

1.438

1.009

2.049

Previous manual therapy

 Treated no effect (ref.)

35.4

27.3

26.5

0.066

 Treated effect

4.9

6.7

7.3

0.112

1.795

0.873

3.692

 Not treated

59.7

65.9

66.1

0.036

1.429

1.024

1.994

Previous chiropractic

 Treated no effect (ref.)

20.4

11.1

9.3

0.003

 Treated effect

2.7

2.9

2.6

0.165

2.036

0.746

5.563

 Not treated

77.0

86.0

88.2

0.001

2.053

1.354

3.113

Previous medication

 Treated no effect (ref.)

27.0

21.3

11.5

0.224

 Treated effect

2.2

2.4

3.5

0.546

1.389

0.478

4.033

 Tot treated

70.8

76.3

85.0

0.086

1.367

0.957

1.952

Previous pain clinic

 Treated no effect (ref.)

10.2

6.2

4.5

0.152

 Treated effect

0.9

0.7

0.3

0.787

1.278

0.216

7.548

 Not treated

88.9

93.1

95.2

0.055

1.710

0.989

2.957

Previous surgery

 Treated no effect (ref.)

4.4

0.9

1.3

0.010

 Treated effect

2.2

2.1

2.6

0.040

4.800

1.074

21.447

 Tot treated

93.4

97.1

96.2

0.003

5.318

1.797

15.739

Previous other treatment

 Treated no effect (ref.)

19.5

15.6

17.3

0.369

 Treated effect

4.0

3.5

7.0

0.851

1.086

0.457

2.581

 Not treated

76.5

81.0

75.7

0.171

1.323

0.886

1.974

Work status

 No work (ref.)

31.4

21.1

17.9

0.005

 Not physical work

48.2

51.4

58.1

0.013

1.586

1.100

2.286

 Physical work

20.4

27.5

24.0

0.002

2.012

1.296

3.122

Type of treatment

 Manual Medicine (MM, ref.)

14.6

21.5

18.6

0.109

 Orthomanual Medicine (OMM)

70.4

76.5

77.7

0.166

0.739

0.482

1.133

 Both MM and OMM

2.2

0.9

3.1

0.058

0.284

0.078

1.042

 Other treatment

0.4

1.1

0.7

Number of treatment sessions

3.7 (1.5)

3.5 (1.6)

3.5 (1.6)

0.121

0.925

0.839

1.021

McKenzie

11.1

13.3

18.2

0.801

1.065

0.645

1.733

Treated.differently

6.1

4.6

2.1

0.008

1.000

1.000

1.000