De-educate to re-educate: aging and low back pain
Adriaan Louw1, Kory Zimney2, Eldon A Johnson3
1International Spine and Pain Institute, PO Box 232, Story City, IA, 50248, USA. adriaan@ispinstitute.com.
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
|March 10, 2017
Summary
De-educating older adults about the link between aging and low back pain (LBP) improved pain, reduced fear-avoidance, and increased trunk flexion. This approach helps patients adopt healthier beliefs about their condition.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Pain Management
- Musculoskeletal Health
Background:
- Patient beliefs significantly influence pain perception and treatment outcomes, particularly when tissue health is perceived as vulnerable or aged.
- Educational interventions can modify these beliefs, but often require prior "de-education" to address existing misconceptions.
- Misconceptions about aging and low back pain (LBP) can negatively impact patient experience and adherence to treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a brief de-education session on beliefs about aging and LBP.
- To assess changes in pain ratings, fear-avoidance behaviors, and physical function following the intervention.
- To determine if de-education can shift negative beliefs associated with aging and LBP.
Main Methods:
- Fifty adults aged 50-93 with chronic LBP participated in the study.
- A brief educational session focused on debunking the correlation between aging and LBP was delivered.
- Pain intensity (LBP and leg pain), fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ), beliefs about aging and LBP, and active trunk flexion were measured before and after the intervention.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in LBP and leg pain ratings were observed (p=0.002 and p=0.042, respectively).
- A significant decrease in fear-avoidance beliefs related to physical activity was found (p=0.004).
- Active trunk forward flexion significantly improved post-intervention (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Education aimed at altering beliefs regarding LBP and aging leads to positive outcomes.
- The findings support the efficacy of de-education in shifting negative health paradigms.
- De-educating patients about misconceptions may facilitate the adoption of healthier beliefs and improve clinical outcomes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bone Disorders
5.8K
Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
5.8K
01:19The Effect of Aging on Tissues
4.0K
Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
4.0K
01:27Muscles of the Vertebral Column
3.5K
The back muscles that lie deep into the thoracolumbar fascia are called intrinsic or true back muscles. These muscles are divided into four layers: superficial, intermediate, deep, and deepest layers.
Superficial Layer:
The superficial layer consists primarily of the splenius muscles, which include the splenius capitis and splenius cervicis. These muscles are mainly responsible for the head and cervical spine movements, including extension, rotation, and lateral bending. The splenius capitis...
Superficial Layer:
The superficial layer consists primarily of the splenius muscles, which include the splenius capitis and splenius cervicis. These muscles are mainly responsible for the head and cervical spine movements, including extension, rotation, and lateral bending. The splenius capitis...
3.5K
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
771
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
771
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
294
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
294