Adults with chronic low back pain hold negative beliefs towards running: a mixed methods study
Christopher Neason1, Ulrike H Mitchell2, Paul Buntine3
1Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Australia.
Objectives:
To explore differences in beliefs towards running in adults with and without chronic low back pain.
Design:
This convergent mixed methods cross-sectional study compared adults with chronic low back pain (n = 39) to pain-free adults with a history of chronic low back pain (n = 28) and a low back pain naive control group (n = 71).
Methods:
Beliefs towards running (activity specific beliefs questionnaire; range: 1-4 points), pain intensity (101-point visual analogue scale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), and habitual physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) were analysed. Reflexive thematic analysis examined free-text responses regarding activity specific beliefs.
Results:
Participants were primarily male (53 %) and had a mean (SD) age of 50 (9) years. The chronic low back pain group reported running was less safe than low back pain naive controls (mean difference [95 % confidence interval]: -0.32 [-0.61, -0.03] points, P = 0.028). Among participants with chronic low back pain who reported a variation of running as unsafe (n = 27), 93% limited how much running they did because of this belief. Thematic analysis identified three themes: (a) running is unsafe due to the impact it imparts on the spine, (b) running is natural and has many health benefits, and (c) numerous factors determine the safety of running.
Conclusions:
Individuals with chronic low back pain hold more negative beliefs towards running compared to individuals with no history of low back pain and these negative beliefs limited participation in running. Targeting negative beliefs towards running may facilitate greater uptake of running and guideline-based physical activity.
