Tracking Outcomes in Pain Patients Using Fitness Devices

Back pain receiving epidural injection

Patients who have chronic back pain and are scheduled for an epidural injection to treat this pain will be receive a transforaminal epidural steroid injection as determined by routine care provider

Procedimiento: Epidural injection

After evaluation by their pain physician, if the clinician offers an epidural injection for their back pain, they will be followed for this study before and after the injection.

Droga: Epidural steroid injection as determined by routine care provider

Betamethasone Triamcinolone Dexamethasone Methylprednisolone Lidocaine Bupivacaine Ropivacaine Normal saline

Association of percent improvement in pain and number of steps.

Linear regression will be used to determine the association of change in percent improvement of pain (assessed at baseline and follow-up) and number of steps taken on average the week of the assessment. Increased beta-coefficient from linear regression demonstrates that increased improvement in pain is related to an increased number of steps indicating improved mobility. If the beta coefficient from the linear regression is negative, this indicates that percent improvement in pain is associated with decreased number of steps and reduced mobility.

Change in pain severity following procedure

Pain will be assessed by using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) where scores range from 0 = no pain to 100 = worst possible pain. An increase in pain scores from baseline represent disease progression and decrease represent clinical response to treatment. VAS will be assessed prior to treatment and then at a followup assessment.

Association in minutes slept as measured by fitness device and percent improvement in pain

Linear regression will be used to determine the association of change in percent improvement of pain (assessed at baseline and follow-up) and number of minutes slept on average the week of the assessment. Increased beta-coefficient from linear regression demonstrates that increased improvement in pain is related to an increased number of steps indicating improved mobility. If the beta coefficient from the linear regression is negative, this indicates that percent improvement in pain is associated with decreased number of steps and reduced mobility.

Change in survey measures of pain

Conglomerate survey device of brief pain inventory, roland morris disability questionnaire, and oswestry disability index. The investigators will measure baseline survey data before the treatment and then at follow up visit.