SynthesisEuropean journal of pain (London, England)2019
Beliefs about back pain and pain management behaviours, and their associations in the general population: A systematic review.
Synthesis in European journal of pain (London, England), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between trunk flexion and low back pain in blue-collar workers: A systematic review.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring physicians' perspectives on influencing factors of chronic non-specific low back pain: a qualitative study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- People in Brazil hold unhelpful beliefs about low back pain: An online survey using the back pain attitudes questionnaire.Brazilian journal of physical therapy · 2026Article
- The Development of Spinal Pain Beliefs: Patient Journey Mapping From Onset of Symptoms to MRI: A Qualitative Interview Study.Musculoskeletal care · 2026Article
- Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Serbian Version of the Back Beliefs Questionnaire in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- 'It might help, but it won't fix me': a qualitative study of individuals' beliefs about manual therapy for low back pain.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2026Article
- What do the general public believe about back pain? A scoping review of population-based studies.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Pain Retrained: Participant Perspectives of an Online, Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Education Programme.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Article
- Article
- Chronic Low Back Pain Causal Risk Factors Identified by Mendelian Randomization: a Cross-Sectional Cohort Analysis.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Societal beliefs about pain may be more balanced than previously thought. Results of the Guernsey pain survey.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Observational
- Biomedical Dogmas Still Influence the Delivery of Exercise Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain Management: Mixed-Methods Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2024Article
- How Do Physiotherapists Explain Influencing Factors to Chronic Low Back Pain? A Qualitative Study Using a Fictive Case of Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Back Pain: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Exploring chronic pain related attentional experiences, distress and coping strategies among Arabic-speaking individuals in Jordan and the United Kingdom.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- A cross-sectional investigation of back pain beliefs and fear in physiotherapy and sport undergraduate students.PloS one · 2023Article
- Understanding how patients' pain beliefs influence chronic low back pain management in Ghana: a grounded theory approach.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Primary Investigation of Low Back Pain among Saudi Arabians: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- What influences graduate medical students' beliefs of lower back pain? A mixed methods cross sectional study.BMC medical education · 2022Article
- Beliefs about back pain and associations with clinical outcomes: a primary care cohort study.BMJ open · 2022Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Previous mass media campaigns have aimed to influence how people manage back pain, with mixed success. Campaigns should target beliefs which are related to the behaviours they aim to change. This systematic review brings together research that has measured the prevalence of beliefs about back pain in the general population and factors associated with these beliefs, including future pain-related outcomes. Five databases were searched up until April 2017. Quantitative studies which reported a measure of agreement with a belief about back pain, cross-sectional associations, or associations between beliefs and future outcomes were eligible. Eligibility was assessed and data extracted independently by two authors. Results were tabulated and narratively synthesized. Nineteen studies from 10 countries were eligible (median study n [IQR] = 990.5 [524.75-2387.5]). Beliefs were measured using eight questionnaires and 57 stand-alone items. Beliefs about back pain's negative consequences were common across countries and populations, whereas most samples did not hold fear-avoidance beliefs. Beliefs about back pain's consequences were associated with pain and disability, but only one study investigated this specific relationship prospectively. No studies investigated whether beliefs are associated with future pain management behaviours. Agreement with certain beliefs (e.g. about negative consequences) was associated with sociodemographic characteristics (e.g. older age) and poorer self-rated health. Interventions may benefit from targeting beliefs about the perceived negative consequences of back pain in these populations. However, future research should explore how beliefs prospectively influence the management of back pain. SIGNIFICANCE: This review brings together studies which have assessed the prevalence of beliefs about back pain, and factors associated with holding them. It highlights that whether or not these beliefs represent important determinants of how people manage pain remains unknown.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.