This study investigated the association among fear-avoidance beliefs,
pain intensity, and lumbar flexion and if changes were predictive of
treatment outcome following physical therapy for acute low back pain.
Sixty-three patients with acute low back pain underwent a standard examination
that included measures of fear-avoidance beliefs, pain intensity, lumbar
flexion, and disability from low back pain. They were then re-examined
after 4 weeks of physical therapy. The investigators found that items
on the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs
Questionnaire consistently correlated with lumbar flexion but not
with pain intensity. Changes in disability were significantly associated
with changes in fear-avoidance beliefs and pain intensity, but not changes
in lumbar flexion. Study results suggest that fear-avoidance beliefs
have a similar association with pain intensity, physical impairment,
and disability for patients with acute and chronic low back pain. This
study provides preliminary support for the use of the Fear-Avoidance
Beliefs Questionnaire as an outcome measure for patients with acute
low back pain. George SZ, Fritz JM, McNeil DW. Adapted from Clin J Pain.
2006 Feb;22(2):197-203.
PMID 16428956
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed
Credit: PubMed, developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information
(NCBI) at the National
Library of Medicine (NLM).
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