A comparison of fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with lumbar spine pain and cervical spine pain

Study Design. A prospective consecutive cohort study of patients with cervical spine pain and patients with lumbar spine pain referred to an academic medical center. Objectives. To investigate the presence of fear-avoidance beliefs in a sample of patients with cervical spine pain and to compare the association of pain intensity, disability, and fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with cervical spine pain with that in patients with lumbar spine pain. Summary of Background Data. Fear-avoidance beliefs are a specific psychosocial variable involved in the development of disability from low back pain. Psychosocial variables are believed to play a role in cervical disability, but specific variables have not been investigated. Methods. Consecutive patients referred to a multidisciplinary center completed self-reports of disability, pain intensity, and fear-avoidance beliefs during an initial evaluation session. Gender, type of symptom onset, acuity, and payer source were also recorded. Associations between-disability, pain intensity, and fear-avoidance beliefs were investigated in patients with cervical spine pain and patients with lumbar spine pain. Results. In all, 163 patients completed the self-reports and were included in this study. Weaker relations between fear-avoidance beliefs and disability were found in patients with cervical pain than in those with lumbar pain. Significant differences in fear-avoidance beliefs were found for gender, type of symptom onset, and payer source (workers' compensation, auto insurance, and traditional insurance). Conclusion. The associations among fear-avoidance beliefs, pain intensity, and disability differed between patients with cervical spine pain and patients with lumbar spine pain. Fear-avoidance beliefs were significantly different in subgroups of patients.