The importance of fear, beliefs, catastrophizing and kinesiophobia in chronic low back pain rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate fear, beliefs, catastrophizing and kinesiophobia in chronic low back pain patients about to begin a training programme in a rehabilitation centre.


METHODS
Fifty chronic low back pain patients (including both males and females) were assessed in our physical medicine department. We used validated French-language scales to score the patients' pain-related disability, quality of life and psychosocial factors.


RESULTS
Seventy percent of the patients had a major functional disability (i.e., a Roland-Morris Scale score over 12) and nearly 73% reported an altered quality of life (the daily living score in the Dallas Pain Questionnaire). Pain correlated with functional impairment and depression but not with catastrophizing or kinesiophobia. Disability was correlated with catastrophizing and kinesiophobia.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychosocial factors are strongly associated with disability and altered quality of life in chronic low back pain patients. Future rehabilitation programs could optimizing patient management by taking these factors into account.
Thomas
E-N
EN
hôpital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France. thomas@chu-montpellier.fr
Pers
Y-M
YM
Mercier
G
G
Cambiere
J-P
JP
Frasson
N
N
Ster
F
F
Hérisson
C
C
Blotman
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life