Influence of medical diagnosis on pain, daily activities and beliefs in individuals with nonspecific low back pain

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic pain involves several dimensions and has the capacity to generate changes in the structures and functionality of the Nervous System. Many patients with chronic pain present Central Sensitization, which further aggravates the individual's functionality. Lumbar pain is one of the most frequent clinical conditions in the population with chronic pain. Most low back pain is characterized as non-specific, however, there is still an excess of diagnosis attempting to attribute the symptoms to a structural cause. The literature describes that overdiagnosis may interfere with pain improvement and consequently failure to resolve the
individual's disability. Objective: The objective of this study is to identify possible influences of medical diagnosis on the pain, beliefs and daily activities of individuals with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Methods: This is a qualitative and quantitative study in which 70 individuals with nonspecific low back pain were assessed for pain levels, disability, and the number of medical diagnoses related to their complaints. A discursive interview with closed and open questions about the patients' beliefs and perceptions regarding the influence of the medical diagnosis for their daily activities and pain intensity was also conducted. Results: The findings
showed that 67.1% of the participants believe that some types of diagnosis (eg spondylosis, disc bulging, disc protrusion) may be associated with high levels of pain and greater limitation of daily activities; More than 90% believe that pain and injury are directly related and more than 85% believe that individuals with more medical diagnoses feel more pain and have more limitation to perform daily activities compared to individuals with only a medical diagnosis. In addition, individuals have demonstrated that having a medical diagnosis is extremely important for the condition of low back pain and that the diagnosis of herniated disc is considered a more serious condition within their prospects.