Reliability and relationship of the fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire with the shoulder pain and disability index and numeric pain rating scale in patients with shoulder pain

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the test–retest reliability of Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) Work (FABQW) subscale, FABQ Physical Activity (FABQPA) subscale, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) Pain subscale, SPADI Disability subscale, and Numeric Pain Rating scale (NPRS); and 2) the relationship between the FABQPA, FABQW, SPADI pain, SPADI disability, and NPRS after 4 weeks of pragmatically applied physical therapy (PT) in patients with shoulder pain. Design: Prospective, single-group observational design. Methods: Data were collected at initial evaluation, the first follow-up visit prior to the initiation of treatment, and after 4 weeks of treatment. Results: Statistically significant Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC_2,1) values were reported for the FABQPA, FABQW, SPADI Pain, SPADI Disability, and NPRS. A statistically significant moderate relationship between the FABQPA subscale, SPADI subscale, and NPRS could not be established prior to and after 4 weeks of pragmatically applied PT. Statistically significant differences were observed between the initial evaluation and four-week follow-up for the FABQPA, SPADI Pain, SPADI Disability, and NPRS (p < 0.01). Discussion: Since a meaningful relationship between the FABQ, SPADI, and NPRS did not exist, it suggests that the FABQPA may be measuring a metric other than pain. Conclusions: This study suggests that the FABQW may not be sensitive to change over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Avoidance learning
• fear
• shoulder
• shoulder pain
• surveys and questionnaires

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was was partially funded through an OPTP grant awarded by the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists.