Early postoperative fear of movement predicts pain, disability, and physical health six months after spinal surgery for degenerative conditions.

Background Context: The fear-avoidance model offers a promising framework for understanding the development of chronic postoperative pain and disability. However, limited research has examined this model in patients undergoing spinal surgery.

Purpose: To determine whether preoperative and early postoperative fear of movement predicts pain, disability, and physical health at 6 months following spinal surgery for degenerative conditions, after controlling for depressive symptoms and other potential confounding variables.

Cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy to improve surgical spine outcomes: a case series.

Background And Purpose: Fear of movement is a risk factor for poor postoperative outcomes in patients following spine surgery. The purposes of this case series were: (1) to describe the effects of a cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy (CBPT) intervention in patients with high fear of movement following lumbar spine surgery and (2) to assess the feasibility of physical therapists delivering cognitive-behavioral techniques over the telephone.

Case Description: Eight patients who underwent surgery for a lumbar degenerative condition completed the 6-session CBPT intervention.

Comparative study of short forms of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia: fear of movement in a surgical spine population.

Objective: To compare the factor structure of 6 short forms of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) by means of confirmatory factor analysis in patients after spinal surgery for degenerative conditions.

Design: A cross-sectional survey study.

Setting: University-based surgical clinic.

Examining the role of positive and negative affect in recovery from spine surgery.

Consistent evidence supports a significant association between lower positive affect and higher negative affect and increased pain and disability in adults with chronic pain. However, examining this relation in surgical populations has received little empirical consideration. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether preoperative and postoperative positive and negative affect predict pain, disability, and functional status after spine surgery.