Psychology and low back pain

Psychological and social factors are associated with complaints of back pain. These factors may be risk factors or prognostic factors. Risk factors are associated with a higher likelihood that the individual will experience back pain in the future. Prognostic factors are associated with a higher likelihood that a patient's pain will become chronic. The cardinal psychosocial risk factors for back pain are attitudes, cognitions, fear-avoidance beliefs, depression, anxiety, and distress. The cardinal prognostic factors are distress, somatization, and catastrophising behaviour. There is no evidence, however, that psychosocial factors cause back pain. The fear-avoidance model offers certain predictions concerning the nature of suitable interventions that address psychosocial factors.