Objetivo The present project falls under the category of secondary and tertiary prevention and is concerned in particular with vertebral pathology. The purpose of the research is twofold: 1. To allow for an objective evaluation of the results obtained over the medium term (two years) in comparison with workers in other iron and steel plants that do not enjoy a similar programme and can thus serve as controls. 2. From the data relating to the work situation, the work accident, the patient's medical history, the clinical symptoms and the perception of pain, to identify those factors likely to have prognostic value with respect to the patient's later progress.Design of the study A longitudinal study analysing the progression over the short term (24 months) of the condition of workers who have experienced acute low back pain following an industrial accident. Subjects The study will include all workers, hourly or salaried, complaining of lumbar (or dorsal) pain or sciatica that appeared while they were performing their jobs or immediately thereafter. Criteria for evaluating the results are as follows: Rate of resumption of work, level of residual pain or functional disability at time "t" after the acute episode, rate of recurrence during the follow-up period, cumulative number of days lost, etc., or quantitative improvement in functional parameters such as lumbar mobility, isometric muscular strength or muscular endurance. METHODS AND MEANS BY WHICH THE AIMS ARE TO BE ACHIEVEDMain criterion: the "survival" curve for workers with lower back pain; the "survival" curves will be compared using the log-rank tests; the curves will be derived using Kaplan-Meyer estimators. Secondary criteria postulated: - the rate of recurrences and/or the number of days lost as a result; - the length of the remission period; - painful symptoms; - individual pain level. On the statistical level, a comparison of these secondary variables will be instituted between the treatment group and the control groups using logic regression analysis (for rates of recurrence) and covariance analysis (for the other variables) and applying stratified analysis. Programa(s) ECSC-MEDRES 5C - Fifth medical research programme (ECSC) "Protection of workers against risks arising from work in the coal and steel industries", 1988-1992 Tema(s) Data not available Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinador Cockerill Sambre Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Rue G. Trasenster, 21 4102 OUGREE Bélgica Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos