Beliefs and Attitudes in Low Back Pain Management
Summary
Beliefs and attitudes towards low back pain shape how individuals interpret symptoms, engage with treatment and ultimately experience recovery. Traditional biomedical views that regard the spine as fragile often lead to fear-avoidant behaviours and excessive reliance on imaging or passive therapies. By contrast, a biopsychosocial perspective recognises the complex interplay of anatomical, psychological and social factors, emphasising patient empowerment, activity and self-management. Healthcare professionals’ own attitudes can reinforce or challenge maladaptive beliefs, influencing diagnostic choices and advice on movement. Public health messaging and clinician–patient interactions both play a pivotal role in shifting perceptions towards more adaptive coping, reducing disability and improving quality of life worldwide.
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Beliefs and Attitudes in Low Back Pain Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in beliefs and attitudes in low back pain management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Biopsychosocial model: An approach that integrates biological, psychological and social factors in understanding and managing health conditions.
Patient-reported outcome measure (PROM): A questionnaire completed by patients to assess perceptions of their symptoms, function and quality of life.
Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ): An instrument designed to gauge individuals’ beliefs about the inevitable consequences of back pain.
Catastrophising: A maladaptive cognitive process characterised by exaggerated negative expectations about pain and its impact.
Self-management: The patient’s active participation in planning and carrying out behaviours that maintain and improve health.
References
- Questionnaires assessing knowledge and beliefs about musculoskeletal conditions are potentially suitable for use, but further research is needed: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (2024).
- Negative back beliefs are associated with increased odds of low back pain and disability: a 10-year cohort study in men. Rheumatology (2023).
- Self-management at the core of back pain care: 10 key points for clinicians. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy (2021).
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