FRI0574-HPR The Effect of Kinesiophobia on Physical Activity in Individuals with Chronic Neck Pain

Background 'Avoidance behavior due to fear' called 'kinesiophobia', is being increasingly recognized as an important contributor to disability among individuals with chronic pain [1]. While physical activity is a common management strategy for musculoskeletal pain [2], individuals with chronic pain avoid their daily physical activities and become less active. Neck pain is a fairly common musculoskeletal condition within chronic pain problems in the community [3]. Although the relation between kinesiophobia and disability, muscle strength and range of motion was investigated [4], the effect of kinesiophobia over the physical activity level of the individuals with neck pain has not been investigated yet. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between level of kinesiophobia and level of physical activity in individuals suffering from chronic neck pain. Methods Fifty-seven subjects of mean age 44.8±13.4 years who admitted with chronic neck pain to a Private Physiotherapy Clinic between September and December 2013 participated in this study. Visual Analog Scale was used for pain assessment. Level of kinesiophobia was determined by using Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale and level of physical activity was assessed by using the short form of The International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the relationships between kinesiophobia and chronic neck pain & level of physical activity. Results It was found that level of kinesiophobia was not correlated to level of physical activity (r=0.213, p=0.097). The neck pain was not associated with level of kinesiophobia (r=-0.054, p=0.677) and physical activity (r=-0,166, p=0.197). Conclusions The findings of this study showed that avoidance behavior due to fear did not influence physical activity levels of individuals with chronic neck pain. The lack of statistically significant findings on relationship between the intensity of neck pain and physical activity suggests more research in this field. Further research with larger sample sizes investigating the effect of kinesiophobia on physical activity is warranted. References Geisser, M.E., A.J. Haig, and M.E. Theisen. Activity avoidance and function in persons with chronic back pain. J Occup Rehabil 2000;10(3):215-27. Bergman, S. Management of musculoskeletal pain. Best Practice & Research in Clinical Rheumatology 2007;21(1):153-66. Fejer, R., K.O. Kyvik, and J. Hartvigsen. The prevalence of neck pain in the wor