Pattern of performance in workers with low back pain during a comprehensive motor performance evaluation

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation medicine
• Pain management
• Psychosomatic medicine

Background:

• Previous research indicated nonbiologic patterns in lumbar strength and movement among patients attending back school.
• Correlations were observed between lumbar variables, Waddell score, and global psychologic measures.
• Psychologic factors may influence motor performance in body segments unrelated to the low back in patients with low back pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between motor performance and abnormal illness behavior in males with low back pain.
• To determine if the Waddell score, an indicator of abnormal illness behavior, correlates with motor performance across different body segments.

Main Methods:

• Males with low back pain were assessed after completing a back-school program.
• Tests of limb and back motor performance were administered.
• The Waddell score was used to categorize participants based on their propensity for abnormal illness behavior.

Main Results:

• The group with a high Waddell score demonstrated significantly lower mean performance on all motor tests compared to the low Waddell score group (P < .01).
• This performance deficit extended to tests not directly involving the low back.
• Results suggest a link between abnormal illness behavior and generalized motor performance deficits.

Conclusions:

• Motor performance, as measured by dynamometry, may not accurately reflect maximum physical capacity in all patients with low back pain.
• Psychological factors, indicated by the Waddell score, appear to influence motor performance across various body segments.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay between psychological state and physical function in chronic low back pain populations.