Psychosocial Predictors of Physical Performance in Disabled Individuals With Chronic Pain

OBJECTIVESFirst, to identify what physical performance differences existed between a group of disabled individuals with chronic pain and a control group of pain-free individuals with comparable disabilities; and second, to test a psychosocial model designed to evaluate which psychosocial constructs were predictive of performance in disabled individuals with chronic pain. DESIGNCase-comparison study. SETTINGAmbulatory university laboratory. PARTICIPANTSA community sample of 62 individuals with lower limb amputations or paraplegia, 31 with chronic pain and 31 pain-free. INTERVENTIONStandardized lifting and wheel-turning tasks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESStatic strength, endurance, lifting speed, lateral and anterior–posterior sway, and multidimensional psychosocial measures. RESULTSDisabled individuals with chronic pain had decreased endurance for both the lifting (p