Does radiating spinal pain determine future work disability?

Dr. Vicki Kristman from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto will discuss a study that set out to determine if radiating spinal pain from the low back, mid back and neck is associated with future use of health-related benefits and their duration. A cohort of 22,952 subjects was formed from the 2002 survey of the Danish Twin Registry. The survey contained information on spinal pain and important confounding factors. Work disability over an eight-year period was determined through data linkage with the Danish DREAM register of government transfer payments. The researchers calculated the incidence rate ratio for receipt of sickness benefit and the mean duration of the first and total sickness benefit periods by radiating and non-radiating spinal pain. Relative risks for the occurrence and number of sickness benefit episodes were calculated by radiating spinal pain status.