Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Psychology, Clinical, Psychology, fear avoidance model, low back pain, pain catastrophizing, disability, exposure in vivo, LOW-BACK-PAIN, HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS, EXPOSURE IN-VIVO, BELIEFS QUESTIONNAIRE FABQ, PSYCHOLOGICAL RISK-FACTORS, VARIED-STIMULUS EXPOSURE, CATASTROPHIC THINKING, ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE, ATTENTIONAL BIAS, Affect, Anxiety, Attention, Chronic Disease, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Escape Reaction, Fear, Humans, Motor Activity, Muscular Disorders, Atrophic, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Pain, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Clinical Psychology, 4206 Public health, 5205 Social and personality psychology

Abstract:

Research studies focusing on the fear-avoidance model have expanded considerably since the review by Vlaeyen and Linton (Vlaeyen J. W. S. & Linton, S. J. (2000). Fear-avoidance and its consequences in chronic musculoskeletal pain: a state of the art. Pain, 85(3), 317--332). The fear-avoidance model is a cognitive-behavioral account that explains why a minority of acute low back pain sufferers develop a chronic pain problem. This paper reviews the current state of scientific evidence for the individual components of the model: pain severity, pain catastrophizing, attention to pain, escape/avoidance behavior, disability, disuse, and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, support for the contribution of pain-related fear in the inception of low back pain, the development of chronic low back pain from an acute episode, and the maintenance of enduring pain, will be highlighted. Finally, available evidence on recent clinical applications is provided, and unresolved issues that need further exploration are discussed.