Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is associated with one of the highest disease burdens in the Netherlands. Research using the biopsychosocial model could find areas of improvement in the treatment of...Show moreChronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is associated with one of the highest disease burdens in the Netherlands. Research using the biopsychosocial model could find areas of improvement in the treatment of CLBP. This study attempts to find a relationship between Pain Catastrophizing (PC) and trunk movement patterns in CLBP Patients (N = 67) by performing retrospective data analysis on data collected by the Spine and Joint Centre in Rotterdam. Data was gathered from the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Objective Back Coordination Analysis (ORCA), a trunk movement measurement method. The analysis was performed through linear regression between the variables, which resulted in small, significant negative correlations between total PCS scores and trunk range of motion (ROM) (r = -.204, p < .05) and total PCS scores and movement pattern abnormality when compared to asymptomatic controls (r = -.244, p < .05). These results indicate that a high PC tends to coincide with lower ROM and a lower level of movement pattern abnormality. No correlations were found between the Magnification subscale of the PCS and ROM or movement pattern abnormality. A possible explanation for these results is that heightened PC could lead to higher levels of compensatory muscle use in the lower back, making patients’ movement patterns approximate that of asymptomatic controls. Further research would be needed to confirm this.Show less
