The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Review Meta Analysis
Symptoms of depression as a prognostic factor for low back pain: a systematic review.
It has been proposed that depression plays an important role in the course of low back pain; however, there is considerable uncertainty on its predictive value. ⋯ Although a definitive answer on the effect of depression on the course of low back pain is not available, the findings of this systematic review suggest that depression might have an adverse effect on the prognosis of low back pain. Future large studies that enroll an inception cohort and that employ a standardized method for assessing depression and low back pain are needed.