Positive expectations for recovery affects outcomes for patients with low back pain

Cochrane review: Hayden JA, Wilson MN, Riley RD, Iles R, Pincus T, Ogilvie R. Individual recovery expectations and prognosis of outcomes in non‐specific low back pain: prognostic factor review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019(11).¹

Background: Low back pain is a condition that affects ∼1% of the world’s population and has been listed as the leading cause of disability globally.² Patient expectations of recovery can influence how much effort a patient may employ to assist their recovery and in turn may influence treatment compliance.³ How much people expect from their recovery may be a modifiable prognostic factor and therefore of interest to clinicians treating low back pain.

Clinical Bottom Line: Patients with low back pain are more likely to return to work, have an important improvement in recovery and feel less pain if they have positive expectations for their recovery.¹ As treatment expectation has been identified as potentially modifiable there is a role for clinicians to play in supporting a positive recovery frame of mind in patients with low back pain.⁴

Table 1. Individual recovery expectations as a prognostic factor for low back pain