title: The impact of chronic low back pain on physical performance, fear avoidance beliefs, and depressive symptoms: A comparative study on Turkish elderly population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were: (1) to show the impact of chronic low back pain (CLBP) on physical performance, fear avoidance behavior and depressive symptoms in older adults; (2) to describe the relationships between outcome measurements obtained in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one participants with or without chronic low back pain were included in this study. Only four tests in the Back Performance Scale were used to assess the physical performance of the participants. A Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire related to physical activity and the Geriatric Depression Scale were also used to examine each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of performance shown by elderly adults with low back pain was worse than elders without low back pain in the sock test and the pick-up test (p < 0.05). Little correlation between the finger-to-floor test and fear avoidance behaviour related to physical activity was found (p < 0.05). There was little/poor correlation between all performance tests and depressive symptoms (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that CLBP decreases physical performance, but increases fear avoidance behavior and depressive symptoms in elderly adults. At the same time, it was determined that performance level of elderly adults with back pain was related especially with depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Emine Aslan Telci, PT, PhD,Asistant Professor.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aslan Telci
authors.affiliation: Nesrin Yagci, PT, PhD,Assosciate Profeessor.
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yagci
authors.affiliation: Tuba CAN, PT, PhD.
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Ugur Cavlak, PT, PhD, Professor.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cavlak
keywords: Activity limitation; Aged; Depressive symptoms; Fear; Low back pain