ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2023
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.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Multimodal abnormalities of brain function in chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Exploring physicians' perspectives on influencing factors of chronic non-specific low back pain: a qualitative study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile pain is influenced by multiple factors including psychosocial factors, previous research has shown that physiotherapists still favour a biomedical approach. PURPOSE: To evaluate: (1) how physiotherapists explain the patient's chronic non-specific low back pain (LBP); (2) whether physiotherapists use one or multiple influencing factors, and (3) whether these factors are framed in a biopsychosocial or biomedical approach. MATERIALS AND
methodsThis exploratory qualitative study uses a vignette depicting chronic non-specific LBP and employs a flexible framework analysis. Physiotherapists were asked to mention contributing factors to the pain based on this vignette. Five themes were predefined ("Beliefs", "Previous experiences", "Emotions", "Patients behaviour", "Contextual factors") and explored.
resultsPhysiotherapists use very brief explanations when reporting contributing factors to chronic pain (median 13 words). Out of 670 physiotherapists, only 40% mentioned more than two different themes and 2/3rds did not see any link between the patients' misbeliefs and pain. Only a quarter of the participants mentioned the patient's worries about pain and movement, which is considered to be an important influencing factor.
conclusionThe lack of a multifactorial approach and the persistent biomedical beliefs suggest that it remains a challenge for physiotherapists to fully integrate the biopsychosocial framework into their management of chronic LBP.
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