Beliefs underlying pain-related fear and how they evolve: a qualitative investigation in people with chronic back pain and high pain-related fear

The fear-avoidance model (FAM) proposes that negative pain beliefs leads to fear and avoidance of physical activity which patients see as harmful. This in turns leads to an increase in pain and disability. The main belief in the FAM is that pain is a sign of serious injury and pathology. Researchers have suggested that other beliefs also contribute to the FAM but it is unclear what these beliefs are. A recent study, by members of the Pain-Ed team at Curtin University Perth, sought to highlight other beliefs which may contribute to the FAM. The study revealed that there are several other beliefs which contribute to the FAM and described how these beliefs may evolve. The authors suggest that the factors contributing to these different beliefs should be targeted in an intervention to maximise the reduction in activity avoidance.