Effects of pain-related catastrophic thinking, anxiety, and depression on pain intensity and quality of life in patients with knee and low back pain.
Yuki Kishikawa, Shinichi Tanaka, Kenshi Iwanaga and 6 others
PMID 36118662WHAT IT FOUND
The 14 low back pain patients and 14 knee pain patients did not differ in pain, catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, or quality of life.
Higher pain was reported alongside anxiety in back pain and helplessness in knee pain.
Key findings
01The low back pain and knee pain groups did not differ in pain intensity, catastrophic thinking, anxiety, depression, or quality of life.
02Higher pain was reported alongside higher anxiety in the low back pain group and alongside higher helplessness in the knee pain group.
03Lower health scale scores were reported alongside higher helplessness and magnification in low back pain, and alongside higher rumination and anxiety in knee pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only fourteen patients in each group were studied, so the findings are very small and may not apply to other patients. The study did not test a treatment, so it cannot show that catastrophic thinking, anxiety, or depression caused pain or quality-of-life problems. In the knee pain group, all patients scored 5 on daily activity and 3 on human support, so those quality-of-life scales could not be analysed for relationships. The authors note the small number of participants and say future evaluation is needed. The authors also suggest the patients may have been adequately treated for mental health, which could affect the scores.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these links as proof that catastrophic thinking causes pain or that treating it will improve pain. The study had 14 patients per group, did not test a treatment, and found no significant difference between the low back pain and knee pain groups.