CORRELATION BETWEEN PAIN, PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE AND DISABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN

Chronic low back pain is a common musculoskeletal problem affecting the community. Patients with low back pain often suffer from physical discomfort and functional limitations that might result in disability and affect physical performance. This study was conducted to investigate the relation between pain, physical performance and disability in low back pain patients. Fifty subjects of either gender within the age range 35 to 55 years diagnosed with chronic low back pain were recruited. Pain was assessed using Visual Analog Scale, functional performance using Sock test and disability using Oswestry Disability Index. The mean age of the participants was 42.38 ± 8.24 years. The study revealed that there was positive significant correlation between pain, physical performance and disability (p = 0.000). All these factors should be taken into consideration during assessment which will provide a holistic and multimodal approach towards the understanding, planning and enhancement of management of these patients.