Is there a correlation between fear avoidance, disability and physical inactivity 2 years after surgery for chronic low back pain? : A cross-sectional study
Abstract: Aims This study examines the effects of surgery for chronic low back pain (CLBP) as well as fear avoidance, disability and levels of rated physical activity in patients treated in 2011. An additional aim was to assess patient’s experience of physiotherapy in primary care following the surgery as well the effect of physiotherapy on above mentioned outcome measures. Method A cross-sectional study design was used and a stratified random sample from 189 patients who were treated surgically in a hospital setting. This resulted in a sample of 112 respondents, half of whom where female. Ages ranged between 25-78 years. Questionnaires were sent by mail and data from 79 patients was collected. Non-parametric statistics were used. Outcome measures used were Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and the physical activity scale. Results More than one in four patients reported high levels of kinesiophobia, more than one in three experienced disability and less than a third were physically active. Patients with total disc replacement had better outcome than patients with lumbar fusion. A higher degree of kinesiophobia correlated significantly to experiencing more disability (rs=0.53, p<0.001) and being less physically active (rs=-0.48, p<0.001), and there were significant negative correlations between disability and levels of rated physical activity (rs=-0.37, p<0.001). Rehabilitation in primary care did not affect the results significantly. Conclusions The results of this study hint that the fear avoidance model is relevant in patients treated surgically for chronic low back pain. Physiotherapists and other health care professionals should screen for these beliefs and try to target them. This may assist patients to pursue health promoting activities and activities in daily life.
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