Frequency and interrelations of risk factors for chronic low back pain in a primary care setting.

Introduction: Many risk factors have been identified for chronic low back pain (cLBP), but only one study evaluated their interrelations. We aimed to investigate the frequency of cLBP risk factors and their interrelations in patients consulting their general practitioners (GPs) for cLBP.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, national survey was performed.

Fear-avoidance beliefs about back pain in patients with acute LBP.

Objective: We aimed to assess fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with acute low back pain (LBP) and to identify features of patients and general practitioners (GPs) associated with patients' fear-avoidance beliefs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in primary care practice in France. A total of 709 GPs completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing fear-avoidance beliefs [the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ)] and 2,727 patients with acute LBP completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing pain, perceived handicap and disability (on the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale) and fear-avoidance beliefs (on the FABQ).

Effect of a simple information booklet on pain persistence after an acute episode of low back pain: a non-randomized trial in a primary care setting.

Objective: Mass-media campaigns have been known to modify the outcome of low back pain (LBP). We assessed the impact on outcome of standardized written information on LBP given to patients with acute LBP.

Design: A 3-month pragmatic, multicenter controlled trial with geographic stratification.

General practitioners' fear-avoidance beliefs influence their management of patients with low back pain.

The objectives of this cross-sectional study conducted in primary care practice in France were to describe general practitioners' (GPs) fear-avoidance beliefs about low back pain (LBP), investigate the impact of these beliefs on their following guidelines for bed rest, physical activities, and sick leave, and uncover factors associated with GPs' fear-avoidance beliefs. A total of 864 GPs completed a 5-part self-administered questionnaire. Parts 1, 2, and 3 concerned demographic, professional data, and personal history of back pain, respectively.