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Cited by 479Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedical Practices and RehabilitationSpine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 66 of the 66 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The role of fear avoidance beliefs as a prognostic factor for outcome in patients with nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review

Wertli, Maria M., Rasmussen-Barr, Eva, Weiser, Sherri, Bachmann, Lucas M., Brunner, Florian·2014·The Spine Journal
DOI 10.1016/j.spinee.2013.09.036
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Abstract

Background context Psychological factors including fear avoidance beliefs are believed to influence the development of chronic low back pain (LBP).Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic importance of fear avoidance beliefs as assessed by the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for clinically relevant outcomes in patients with nonspecific LBP.Design/setting The design of this study was a systematic review.Methods In October 2011, the following databases were searched: BIOSIS, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, OTSeeker, PeDRO, PsycInfo, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. To ensure the completeness of the search, a hand search and a search of bibliographies was conducted and all relevant references included. A total of 2,031 references were retrieved, leaving 566 references after the removal of duplicates. For 53 references, the full-text was assessed and, finally, 21 studies were included in the analysis.Results The most convincing evidence was found supporting fear avoidance beliefs to be a prognostic factor for work-related outcomes in patients with subacute LBP (ie, 4 weeks-3 months of LBP). Four cohort studies, conducted by disability insurance companies in the United States, Canada, and Belgium, included 258 to 1,068 patients mostly with nonspecific LBP. These researchers found an increased risk for work-related outcomes (not returning to work, sick days) with elevated FABQ scores. The odds ratio (OR) ranged from 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.09) to 4.64 (95% CI, 1.57-13.71). The highest OR was found when applying a high cutoff for FABQ Work subscale scores. This may indicate that the use of cutoff values increases the likelihood of positive findings. This issue requires further study. Fear avoidance beliefs in very acute LBP (<2 weeks) and chronic LBP (>3 months) was mostly not predictive.Conclusions Evidence suggests that fear avoidance beliefs are prognostic for poor outcome in subacute LBP, and thus early treatment, including interventions to reduce fear avoidance beliefs, may avoid delayed recovery and chronicity.

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Metadata

Authors
Wertli, M. M., Rasmussen-Barr, E., Weiser, S., Bachmann, L. M., & Brunner, F.
Affiliations
  • University of Zurich (CH)
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • New York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Wertli, Maria M.
ORCID
Venue
The Spine Journal
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-05
Volume
14
Issue
5
Pages
816-836.e4
ISSN
1529-9430 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.spinee.2013.09.036
OpenAlex
W1991034746
Cited by
479
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 46 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 7
FWCI
2.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2014-08-01)
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • The Spine Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Medical Practices and Rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology
Keywords
fear-avoidance beliefs, non-specific low back pain, prognostic factors, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, subacute low back pain, work-related outcomes, return to work, sick days, disability insurance, chronicity, kinesiophobia
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Avoidance Learning, Chronic Disease, Fear, Humans, Models, Psychological, Prognosis, Surveys and Questionnaires, Low Back Pain, Observational Studies as Topic

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