Evidence for your Practice: Conservative Interventions Reduce Fear in Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain

Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash

Article: Martinez-Calderon, J., Flores-Cortes, M., Morales-Asencio, J. M., & Luque-Suarez, A. (2020). Conservative Interventions Reduce Fear in Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 101(2), 329-358.

Study Aim: This systematic review aimed to appraise the effectiveness of conservative and surgical interventions to reduce fear in studies of people with chronic low back pain.

Key Findings: 

• Kinesiophoia was reduced by:
• Multidisciplinary interventions (moderate evidence)
• Psychological interventions (moderate evidence)

• Fear-avoidance beliefs were reduced by:
• Multidisciplinary interventions
• Psychological interventions
• Manual therapy (moderate evidence)
• Electrotherapy (moderate evidence)

• Fear of falling was reduced by:
• Multidisciplinary interventions

Bottom Line for OT: Conservative interventions can potentially be used to manage fear of movement and fear-avoidance beliefs for people chronic low back pain. Occupational therapists are well suited to employ these interventions to support their clients in regaining function and engaging in occupations. 

#OT365