scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF HOME PHYSICAL THERAPY ON FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEFS

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (Suppl_2) ◽  
pp. 772-772
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Fear Avoidance ◽  
Fear Avoidance Beliefs ◽  
The Impact

Changes in Pain Catastrophizing and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs as Mediators of Early Physical Therapy on Disability and Pain in Acute Low-Back Pain: A Secondary Analysis of a Clinical Trial

Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany L Sisco-Taylor ◽  
John S Magel ◽  
Molly McFadden ◽  
Tom Greene ◽  
Jincheng Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Fear Avoidance ◽  
Fear Avoidance Beliefs ◽  
Acute Low Back Pain ◽  
Early Physical Therapy

Abstract Objective The Fear-Avoidance Model of chronic pain (FAM) posits that pain catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs are prognostic for disability and chronicity. In acute low-back pain, early physical therapy (PT) is effective in reducing disability in some patients. How early PT impacts short- and long-term changes in disability for patients with acute pain is unknown. Based on the FAM, we hypothesized that early reductions in pain catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs would mediate early PT’s effect on changes in disability (primary outcome) and pain intensity (secondary outcome) over 3 months and 1 year. Subjects Participants were 204 patients with low-back pain of < 16 days duration, who enrolled in a clinical trial (NCT01726803) comparing early PT sessions or usual care provided over 4 weeks. Methods Patients completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ work and physical activity scales) and outcomes (Oswestry Disability Index and Numeric Pain Rating Scale) at baseline, 4 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year. We applied longitudinal mediation analysis with single and multiple mediators. Results Early PT led to improvements in disability and pain over 3 months, but not 1 year. In the single mediator model, four-week reductions in pain catastrophizing mediated early PT’s effects on 3-month disability and pain intensity improvements, explaining 16% and 22% of the association, respectively, but the effects were small. Pain catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs did not jointly mediate these associations. Conclusions In acute low-back pain, early PT may improve disability and pain outcomes at least partly through reducing patients’ catastrophizing.

scholarly journals Physical Therapist Management of a Patient With Acute Low Back Pain and Elevated Fear-Avoidance Beliefs

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 538-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Z George ◽  
Joel E Bialosky ◽  
Julie M Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Fear Avoidance ◽  
Fear Avoidance Beliefs ◽  
Acute Low Back Pain

Abstract Background and Purpose. Elevated fear-avoidance beliefs are believed to be a precursor of chronic disability, yet effective intervention options have not been described in the literature. The purpose of this case report is to describe physical therapist management of a patient with acute low back pain and elevated fear-avoidance beliefs. Case Description. The patient was a 42-year-old sales manager with acute low back pain. The patient had no previous history of activity-limiting low back pain and initially had limitations in straight leg raising, limitations in lumbar movement, and elevated fear-avoidance beliefs. Intervention. Treatment-based classification and graded exercise were used. Outcome. Disability, fear-avoidance beliefs, and pain decreased 4 weeks after starting physical therapy. Six months later, disability and fear-avoidance beliefs had increased, but were still improved when compared with the initial measurements. Discussion. Disability and fear-avoidance beliefs improved following a fear-avoidance-based physical therapy intervention. Research is warranted to investigate the effectiveness of this approach.

scholarly journals Fear avoidance beliefs limit lumbar spine flexion during object lifting in pain-free adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Knechtle ◽  
S Schmid ◽  
M Suter ◽  
F Riner ◽  
G Moschini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lumbar Spine ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Statistical Parametric Mapping ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Fear Avoidance ◽  
Fear Avoidance Beliefs ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Spinal Kinematics ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThere is a long-held belief that physical activities such as lifting with a flexed spine is generally harmful for the back and can cause low back pain (LBP), potentially nurturing fear avoidance beliefs underlying pain-related fear. In chronic LBP patients, pain-related fear has been shown to be associated with reduced lumbar range of motion during lifting, indicating distinct and probably protective psychomotor responses to pain. However, despite short term beneficial effects for tissue health, recent evidence suggests that maintaining a protective trunk movement strategy may also pose a risk for (persistent) LBP due to possible pro-nociceptive consequences of altered spinal kinematics, reflected by increased loading on lumbar tissues and persistent muscle tension. Yet, it is unknown if similar psychomotor interactions already exist in pain-free individuals which would yield potential insights into how a person might react when they experience LBP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test the impact of pain-related fear on spinal kinematics in a healthy cohort of pain-free adults without a history of chronic pain. The study subjects (N=57) filled out several pain-related fear questionnaires and were asked to perform a lifting task (5kg-box). High-resolution spinal kinematics were assessed using an optical motion capturing system. Time-sensitive analyses were performed based on statistical parametric mapping. The results demonstrated time-specific and negative relationships between self-report measures of pain-related fear and lumbar spine flexion angles during lifting, yielding important implications regarding unfavorable psychomotor interactions that might become relevant in a future LBP incident.

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