Affiliations: [a] Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia | [b] National Rehabilitation Center “Vaivari”, Jurmala, Latvia
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Anna Millere, National Rehabilitation Center “Vaivari”, Asaru pr. 61, Jurmala, Latvia. Tel.: +371 2933 6446; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND: It is known that pain has emotional and behavioral consequences that influence the development of problems and outcome of treatment. Patients’ attitudes and coping mechanisms seem to play a causal role in the chronification of low back pain (LBP) and augment a cycle of chronic pain and disability. OBJECTIVE: To examine pain catastrophizing, stress coping strategies and disability among patients with low back pain in rehabilitation practice in Latvia. METHODS: Seventy-four patients participated in the study. We used the Demographic questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale, The Oswestry Low Back Disability Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale and “The Ways of Coping scale”. RESULTS: According to our data there is a strong interrelationship of disability and pain catastrophizing. The research data shows significantly higher scores of pain catastrophizing in patients with a more severe disability. CONCLUSIONS: Achieved research highlights the importance of a multifactorial approach to pain management and the enormous significance of pain catastrophizing in patients with low back pain.
Keywords: Disability, low back pain, rehabilitation, pain catastrophizing
