PTOtherArchives of physiotherapy2019

Does the awareness of having a lumbar spondylolisthesis influence self-efficacy and kinesiophobia? A retrospective analysis.

Silvano Ferrari, Rosa Striano, Eric Lucking and 3 others

PMID 31890291

WHAT IT FOUND

A diagnosis of spondylolisthesis did not lower confidence in doing activities despite pain or raise fear of movement compared with non-specific low back pain.

Pain level was linked to lower confidence and more fear.

Key findings

01Being diagnosed with symptomatic lumbar spondylolisthesis was not associated with lower pain self-efficacy or higher fear of movement compared with non-specific low back pain.

02Higher pain intensity was related to lower pain self-efficacy and higher fear of movement.

03Higher pain self-efficacy was related to lower fear of movement.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs

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What it does not show

This was a retrospective record review, so it cannot show that a diagnosis caused changes in beliefs. The sample was 98 patients from one clinic in northern Italy, and many had high education, so results may not apply elsewhere. The study did not record how long after diagnosis patients completed the questionnaires, so timing may have affected the results. The text says 64 patients had poor self-efficacy, while Table 2 says 75 had a score of 40 or less. The table gives a pain NRS mean of 48.56 although the scale is described as 0 to 10.

The easy way to misread this

Do not conclude that telling a patient they have spondylolisthesis has no effect on beliefs. This study compared existing groups at one time, did not know how long after diagnosis patients answered, and did not measure how the diagnosis was explained.

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