Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the course of low back pain (LBP) intensity over a period of 12 months in older people with and without kinesiophobia.This was an international multicenter study. LBP intensity was examined by using the Numerical Pain Scale at baseline and over five follow-up periods. The Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire was used to measure patients' beliefs and fears. The study included 532 older adults (non kinesiophobic = 227; kinesiophobic = 305). The individuals had moderate pain at baseline, with a significant difference observed between the groups. Participants showed a rapid improvement in the first 6 weeks, followed by minor improvements in the succeeding months. However, a significant difference between groups remained during the follow-up period. Independently, kinesiophobia is a significant prognostic factor. These findings suggest the importance of screening for psychosocial factors in the management of older patients with LBP. Practice implications: patients need to be warned that pain can be perpetuated by inappropriate avoidance behaviors that may later lead to disability.
Highlights
Aging is accompanied by an increase in the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases, and low back pain (LBP) stands out as one of the three main causes of non-fatal health loss for nearly three decades 1
Kinesiophobia is a significant prognostic factor. These findings suggest the importance of screening for psychosocial factors in the management of older patients with pain complaints
Felício contributed in the conceptualization of the study, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, writing-original draft, writing-review and editing the text
Summary
Aging is accompanied by an increase in the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases, and low back pain (LBP) stands out as one of the three main causes of non-fatal health loss for nearly three decades 1. LBP research has focused on the general, economically active population. Research about older people is still incipient. A systematic review assessed the agerelated inclusion criteria distribution of participants in randomized controlled trials of LBP interventions. A total of 41.6% of the included trials excluded people aged > 65 years 2. In a systematic review of the course of LBP in older people, only five cohort studies have been found. It was observed that at 3 and 12 months of follow-up, approximately 40% of participants still reported pain. The authors highlighted the unfavorable prognosis and the need for more evidence on the topic 3
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