Recurrent low back pain: Relapse from a patients perspective

Abstract

Objective: To explore and describe how patients with recurrent low back pain perceive and respond to the recurrence of pain. Design: A semi-structured interview study. Subjects: Seventeen patients (10 women and 7 men) with recurrent low back pain. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were analysed using the phenomenographic method. Results: Patients' perceptions of relapse of low back pain could be divided into 4 different categories: (i) an unsolved mystery, a source of uncertainty and self-accusation; (ii) an obvious part of life that has to be ignored; (iii) a reminder to keep within limits, both physically and psychologically; and (iv) an indication to change behaviour to prevent further relapse. The categories could be grouped hierarchically such that they reflect to what extent the patients showed readiness and self-efficacy in adopting self-management strategies to prevent further relapses. Conclusion:The results suggest that patients with relapse in low back pain could respond in different ways to the recurrence of pain and show different degree of readiness to change behavioural and movement patterns in order to prevent further relapses. The different responses might be important aspects to which physicians and allied health professionals should pay attention in the rehabilitation process.

The illness uncertainty concept: A review

“…Further research on the predictors and moderators of illness uncertainty may provide us with an answer to help individ uals cope with acute and chronic pain and potentially improve their physical and psychological health. Benjaminsson et al [46] 2007 Low back pain; n = 17 Perceptions of back pain relapse were categorized as: a source of uncertainty and self-accusation; an obvious part of life that has to be ignored; a reminder to keep within physical and psychological limits; and an indication to change behavior.…”

“…Qualitative studies A number of qualitative studies also have examined the concept of illness uncertainty in the context of chronic pain conditions, including low back pain, RA, and unexplained chest pain [46][47][48][49][50][51] (Table 1). These studies found that illness uncertainty was a salient experience for all of these pain conditions.…”

A meta-ethnography of patients’ experience of chronic non-malignant musculoskeletal pain

“…l included people younger than 18 years [70][71][72][73][74][75] l case study or auto-ethnography [76][77][78][79][80][81] l chronicity of pain was not explicit in the sample description l reported conditions other than MSK pain l did not explicitly state that it was specifically about MSK pain l included perceptions of others such as family members, carers, clinicians l included those with pain of < 3 months in duration l did not meet the specific scope, for example explored perceptions of fatigue or exercise [266][267][268][269][270][271][272][273][274][275][276][277][278][279][280] l explored the experience of chronic disease rather than chronic pain. [281][282][283][284][285][286][287][288][289][290][291][292][293][294][295] Ninety-three studies 66,296-387 met the study scope and were appraised (see Figure 9).…”

Chronic low back pain and the construction of illness identities in women from Kuwait

“…Women led a sedentary lifestyle and limited their social activities, relied heavily on medication, and shaped their illness behaviours in relation to the expectations of others. Benjaminsson et al (2007) explored and described how patients with recurrent LBP perceive and respond to the recurrence of pain. Some patients in this study undertook a passive approach, where movement was avoided, and where they constantly looked for medical solutions to diminish their pain.…”