Long psychomotor reaction time in patients with chronic low-back pain: preliminary report

The hypothesis in this study was that slow psychomotor reaction time is related to low-back pain. A total of 73 people with chronic low-back pain (CLBP) were studied. Simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) were measured. CRT was also fractionated into decision and movement times. Each four variables measured were analyzed by using analysis variants and covariants with two grouping factors (CLBP and gender) with age and height serving as covariates. The CLBP group had longer SRT, decision time, and total CRT than the control group on average. The results did not conflict with our hypothesis. Slow psychomotor speed of reaction may be one factor in the development of CLBP, or slow reaction in CLBP may have resulted from fear responses, depression, or anxiety. Longitudinal studies are needed in the cause-and-effect evaluation of the relation between speed of reaction and CLBP.