Spinal pain—good sleep matters: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Purpose The estimated prevalence of poor sleep in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain is estimated to 64 % in the adult population. The annual cost for musculoskeletal pain and reported poor sleep is estimated to be billions of dollars annually in the US. The aim of this cohort study with one-year follow-up was to explore the role of impaired sleep with daytime consequence on the prognosis of non-specific neck and/or back pain. Methods Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, including 409 patients. Results Patients with good sleep at baseline were more likely to experience a minimal clinically important difference in pain [OR 2.03 (95 % CI 1.22–3.38)] and disability [OR 1.85 (95 % CI 1.04–3.30)] compared to patients with impaired sleep at one-year follow-up. Conclusion Patients with non-specific neck and/or back pain and self-reported good sleep are more likely to experience a minimal clinically important difference in pain and disability compared to patients with impaired sleep with daytime consequence.