Psychological Factors Are Related to Pain Intensity in Back-Healthy People Who Develop Clinically Relevant Pain During Prolonged Standing: A Preliminary Study.
Christopher J Sorensen, Steven Z George, Jack P Callaghan and 1 others
PMID 26972366WHAT IT FOUND
Across all back-healthy people who developed pain during standing, fear of pain and catastrophizing did not track pain intensity.
In the 5 people whose pain reached at least 20 mm on a 100-mm scale, fear of pain tracked average pain closely.
Key findings
01In the 5 participants whose pain reached at least 20 mm, fear of pain showed a strong relationship with average pain intensity.
02In all pain developers and in the subgroup with pain below 20 mm, neither fear of pain nor pain catastrophizing showed a significant relationship with maximum or average pain intensity.
03Before standing, fear of pain and pain catastrophizing scores did not differ between non-pain developers and either pain-developer subgroup.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The clinically relevant pain subgroup had only 5 participants, and the authors note that the small sample likely contributed to the lack of significance in other relationships. Only fear of pain and average pain reached statistical significance in that subgroup; the other relationships did not. The study included only adults aged 18 to 30 years, and the authors note the results may not generalise to adults above 30. Participants stood for only two hours, and the authors note this may not represent all jobs with prolonged standing. Recruitment came from university and surrounding areas, and the authors note the education level may not reflect the general population. The pain was acute and transient, not clinical low back pain. The study examined relationships, not the effect of any treatment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing fear of pain or catastrophizing will prevent low back pain during standing. The study found no relationship in all pain developers and only one relationship in a subgroup of 5 people whose pain reached at least 20 mm.