Communication and kinesiophobia : Nocebic terms in the language used by healthcare professionals treating patients with low back pain A quantitative survey

• Main Authors: Repo, Jimmy, Grønholt Haacker-Mogensen, Thomas
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för hälsa, lärande och teknik 2022
• Subjects: communication; kinesiophobia; low back pain; nocebic terms; Physiotherapy; Sjukgymnastik; Luleå
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-88800

Background: Low back pain is a common muskuloskeletal issue. Kinesiophobia constitutes as excessive fear of movement and has been associated with greater levels of pain. Nocebic terms has been found to influence kinesiophobia. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the participants’ experiences with low back pain and nocebic terms, and if the language use of the healthcare professionals correlated with negative beliefs. Method: A digital survey was sent out to individuals with low back pain who had visited a healthcare professional. The survey included questions from Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, and questions about nocebic terms and the understanding of them. Participants were recruited via Luleå University of Technology and Facebook. Results: The study included a total of 51 participants. In the kinesiophobic group, there was 13 participants, and the most occurring terms were injury, disc herniation, and wear and tear. In the non-kinesiophobic group, there was 38 participants, and the most occurring terms were weakness, pinched nerve and bad posture. Conclusion: No strong correlation was found between language use and kinesiophobia, thus challenging the hypothesis that language use has an influence on patients’ beliefs. The most occurring nocebic terms differed between the kinesiophobic group and non-kinesiophobic group.