ArticleThe South African journal of physiotherapy2026
The effect of graded exposure therapy in patients with non-specific chronic lower back pain and kinesiophobia in Gauteng, South Africa.
Article in The South African journal of physiotherapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Kinesiophobia hampers positive outcomes in patients with non-specific chronic lower back pain (NSCLBP). Graded exposure therapy is a psychosocial approach aimed at increasing patients' functional capacity by challenging their fears and negative expectations. Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of a graded exposure therapy programme on patients with NSCLBP, with primary outcomes assessing changes in pain intensity (Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form [BPI-SF]) and kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-11 [TSK-11]) from baseline to post-intervention and secondary outcomes assessing changes in pain interference (BPI-SF). Method: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was used. Twenty-eight participants with NSCLBP for more than 3 months and a TSK-11 score ≥ 22 were recruited. Outcome measures included the TSK-11, BPI-SF and Fear of Daily Activities Questionnaire (FDAQ). The intervention included a 4-week graded exposure programme and pain neuroscience education in the first session only. Data were analysed using the parametric paired Results: Out of 28 participants, most were female (96.4%) with a mean age of 45 (± 8.2) years and reported pain for more than 12 months. Significant improvements were observed on both the TSK-11 and BPI-SF ( Conclusion: Graded exposure therapy was effective in reducing pain and kinesiophobia in patients with NSCLBP in the short term. Clinical implications: Future considerations should be given to implementing the graded exposure therapy in conjunction with other physiotherapy modalities.
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