Indian Journal of Pain (Jan 2021)
A cross-sectional study for correlation of kinesiophobia with low back disability and health-related quality of life in elderly patients with chronic low back pain
Abstract
Context and Aim: Evasion of activity is an elemental reaction that normally allows an injury to heal, but among patients with chronic pain, avoidance behavior is found to persist longer than it takes for the actual injury to heal. This may lead to kinesiophobia which is an irrational, weakening, and devastating fear of movement and activity stemming from the belief of fragility and susceptibility to injury. Studies have shown that older people with low back pain (LBP) demonstrate high levels of kinesiophobia with prevalence ranging up to 80%. Despite the pain and fear that they experience, advising them to avoid painful movements or activities may actually be counter-productive as it will decrease their functional independence. Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess the impact of kinesiophobia on disability and quality of life (QOL) in elderly LBP patients. Subjects and Methods: With ethical permission and informed consent from 125 elderly patients with chronic LBP fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, three scales were administered to assess kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), and QOL (WHO QoL scale). Statistical Analysis Used: Data were collected and statistically analyzed for correlation using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: Sixty-five percent of the study population were male of which 82% had clinically significant kinesiophobia and 45% were female of which 85% had clinically significant kinesiophobia. Kinesiophobia was found to have a moderate positive correlation with disability (r = 0.6061) and a strong negative correlation with QOL (r = −0.7598). Conclusions: Kinesiophobia has a moderate-to-severe impact on disability and QOL and should be addressed as a separate symptom and adequate intervention strategies should be incorporated so as to minimize its impact.
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