The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of anticipation of pain, sensory perception of pain and pain-related fear and disability beliefs on the gait characteristics of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Thirty-one individuals with CLBP (16 men and 15 women) and 24 healthy individuals (11 men and 13 women) between 20 to 56 years of age participated in this study. Anticipated pain and the pain actually felt were measured with two separate visual analogue scales before and after preferred and fast walking performances. Pain-related fear and disability beliefs were measured with the Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ) and the Disability Belief Questionnaire (DBQ). Spatial and temporal walking parameters were measured at preferred and fast walking performances using a computerized gait mat. Analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences between patients and healthy individuals in step length, single support time and walking velocity (P<0.05). Within the CLBP group, stepwise regression analysis showed that FABQ (physical activity) and anticipated pain were the strongest predictors of velocity deficits in preferred and fast walking respectively. Anticipation and fear of pain accounted significantly for the velocity deficits in walking. Standard clinical gait assessments must incorporate psychological measures of pain experience.

Study Design. A prospective, interventional case series design.Objectives. To determine the degree to which preintervention measures of anticipated pain and fear avoidance beliefs predict outcome after intervention for patients with delayed recovery from low back pain (LBP) for which they are not receiving workers' compensation.Summary of Background Data. Anticipated pain and fear avoidance beliefs have been suggested as important factors for the classification and treatment of patients with LBP. However, the degree to which they are associated with outcome after intervention is uncertain.Methods. There were 42 subjects with activity limiting LBP for more than 2 months enrolled in an exercise based, physical therapy program. A multidimensional test battery was completed before and after a 10-week program of lumbar extensor muscle strengthening. Correlational analyses, independent t tests, and validity indexes were used to determine relationships of preintervention measures of anticipated pain and the fear avoidance beliefs to clinically meaningful improvements in the Roland-Morris score. Intention-to-treat strategies were used to account for study dropouts.Results. A total of 36 subjects completed the 10-week intervention. The lack of clinically meaningful outcome, as determined by a failure-to-report a minimum of 16% decrease in the Roland-Morris score, was associated with high preintervention scores on the physical activity subscale of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQP). Subjects with a preintervention score Ն29 on the FABQP had a likelihood ratio of 3.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4Ϫ5.16) for an increased probability of negative outcome after initial testing when compared to those subjects with low (Ͻ20) scores. The sensitivity and specificity of low scores to predict clinically meaningful outcomes compared to those with high scores were moderate (sensitivity ϭ 0.87 and specificity 0.77); however, the likelihood ratio was inconclusive. Anticipated pain was significantly correlated with but was higher than the reported pain during activity both before and after intervention but not predictive of outcome.Conclusions. In a sample of people from a Middle Eastern culture undergoing exercise intervention for LBP for which they are not receiving workers' compensation, the preintervention physical activity subscale of the FABQ is predictive of negative outcome when the observed scores are Ն29. Despite significant improvements in all variables after intervention, anticipated pain remained significantly higher than reported pain during physical performance testing but did not predict outcome.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the ability of physical therapy (PT) students to utilize selected outcome measures such as range of motion (ROM), pain and a number of psychomotor skills and to determine the efficacy of treatment they carried out during orthopedic clinical training. Materials and Methods: The clinical education booklets in orthopedics of all PT students over a 6-year period were reviewed. Students’ application of psychomotor skills such as peripheral joint mobilizations (PJM), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques, therapeutic exercise techniques as well as utilization of basic outcome measures such as ROM and pain were analyzed with descriptive statistics and paired t test. Results: A majority of students used PJM techniques (78.6%) and PNF techniques (58.6%). The paired t test indicated that treatment interventions used by the students were associated with improved shoulder joint ROM and decreased pain levels (p < 0.001). At the same time, therapeutic exercises were employed by the students after PJM and PNF. The most common ‘comparable joint sign’ was limitation in shoulder abduction ROM, which occurred in 44% of patients seen by the students. Conclusion: PT students’ application of PJM, PNF, and therapeutic exercise improved ROM and decreased pain in patients with shoulder pathologies.

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