Relationship of kinesiophobia with functional disability and quality of life in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain attending two selected hospitals in Colombo District

Abstract

Chronic non-specific low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent and a major contributor to the disease burden worldwide. Patients with chronic non-specific LBP frequently exhibit kinesiophobia that leads to functional disability and reduced quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of kinesiophobia with functional disability and quality of life in patients with chronic non-specific LBP attending two selected hospitals in Colombo District. This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 117 patients with chronic non-specific LBP attending the National Hospital of Sri Lanka and the Colombo South Teaching Hospital. Participants aged above 18 years were recruited using non-probability sampling. The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-17), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Short-Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires were used to assess kinesiophobia, functional disability, and Quality of life, respectively. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Among 117 participants (95.12% response rate), 61.5% (n=72) were females and 38.5% (n=45) were males. A majority (77.78%, n=91) of the participants exhibited a high degree of kinesiophobia. The male:female ratio among those with high kinesiophobia was the same as the male:female ratio in the sample. The TSK-17 score reported a significant moderate positive correlation with the ODI score (rs=0.530, p<0.001). A significant moderate negative correlation was found between the TSK-17 score and the physical component summary score of the SF-36 (rs= 0.333, p<0.001). However, a non-significant negative correlation was found between the TSK-17 score and the SF-36 mental component summary score. Kinesiophobia showed a significant moderate positive correlation with functional disability. A significant moderate negative correlation was found between kinesiophobia and the SF-36 physical health component, but showed a non-significant correlation with the mental health component. These findings underscore the necessity of addressing kinesiophobia when developing preventive and therapeutic rehabilitation programmes for low back pain patients to enhance patient outcomes.