ICF Core Set for Low Back Pain
Low back pain has reached epidemic proportions, being reported by about 80% of the population people at some time in their lives. Seventy-five percent of people with low back pain are between 30 and 59 years of age, i.e. in their most productive years. While not a disease, low back pain is a major cause of disability. The symptoms of low back pain and the associated disability bear only a poor relationship to objective data. Therefore, much effort has been made to try to identify meaningful outcome measures. Condition-specific instruments have been used in clinical studies to address functioning, disability and health of persons with low back pain. However, there is little standardization of the use of these instruments, and comparisons among studies are difficult or impossible. Thus, i...