Interrelationship between depression and low back pain-related disability among patients seen at orthopedic clinics in Al Qassim region, Saudi Arabia: Prevalence, severity, and determinants

Depression, although mostly mild, was common in this clinic sample of orthopedic patients with chronic LBP and was frequently associated with disability. Disability can be a serious complication of chronic LBP and is often closely linked with depression. As a result, patients with chronic LBP seen at orthopedic clinics in Saudi Arabia (and likely other Middle Eastern countries) should be screened for depression and managed accordingly.