Volition and low back pain: When patients talk

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Behavioral Medicine
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic low back pain (LBP) significantly impacts patient quality of life and adherence to physical activity.
• Volition, encompassing motivation and self-regulation, plays a critical role in sustained engagement with exercise programs for chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and understand the volitional factors influencing regular physical activity in chronic LBP patients.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to exercise adherence in this population.
• To lay the groundwork for developing a questionnaire to assess volitional competencies in chronic LBP patients.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 individuals experiencing chronic LBP.
• Exploration of patient experiences regarding pain, motivation, physical capabilities, and exercise strategies.

Main Results:

• Patients reported motivation and perceived no negative impact of exercise on LBP.
• Common barriers included lack of time, fatigue, absence of visible results, pain, and competing priorities.
• Facilitators comprised group exercise, therapist support, strategic planning, conducive environments, enjoyment, fear of pain recurrence, and pain itself.

Conclusions:

• Sharing personal experiences in interviews facilitated patient expression and understanding of LBP.
• The findings support the development of a questionnaire to assess volitional competencies.
• This tool can identify patients at risk of exercise non-adherence, enabling targeted interventions to promote activity and prevent chronicity.