Table 3 Back-PAQ items score before and after the spinal pain management module

8) Good posture is important to protect your back

4.00

1.17

1.95

1.30

2.05

1.74 – 2.35

5) Lifting without bending the knees is not safe for your back

3.08

1.59

1.20

0.72

1.88

1.58 – 2.18

11) You could injure your back if you are not careful

3.62

1.22

1.74

1.04

1.88

1.60 – 2.16

6) It is easy to injure your back

3.10

1.46

1.53

0.93

1.57

1.27 – 1.87

22) If you ignore back pain, you may cause damage to your back

3.55

1.15

2.04

1.32

1.51

1.20 – 1.81

9) If you overuse your back, it will wear out

2.85

1.29

1.65

1.05

1.20

0.91 – 1.49

^a28) Most back pain settles quickly, at least enough to get on with normal activities

2.67

1.18

1.48

0.89

1.19

0.94 – 1.44

24) To effectively treat back pain you need to know exactly what is wrong

3.14

1.37

2.01

1.44

1.13

0.79 – 1.47

^a29) Worrying about your back can delay recovery from back pain

2.31

1.05

1.28

0.61

1.03

0.82 – 1.24

^a1) Your back is one of the strongest parts of your body

2.13

1.24

1.13

0.35

1.00

0.78 – 1.23

^a3) Bending your back is good for it

2.07

1.26

1.13

0.36

0.94

0.71 – 1.16

33) There is a high chance that an episode of back pain will not resolve

2.58

1.22

1.67

1.01

0.90

0.63 – 1.18

14) A twinge in your back can be the first sign of a serious injury

2.57

1.22

1.76

1.17

0.81

0.52 – 1.10

7) It is important to have strong muscles to support your back

4.37

1.01

3.56

1.45

0.81

0.50 – 1.12

23) It is important to see a health professional when you have back pain

3.99

0.98

3.19

1.40

0.80

0.51 – 1.10

^a30) Focussing on things other than your back helps you to recover from back pain

2.36

0.98

1.60

0.83

0.76

0.54 – 0.98

12) You can injure your back and only become aware of the injury sometime later

4.22

0.99

3.48

1.43

0.74

0.44 – 1.04

4) Sitting is bad for your back

2.42

1.20

1.69

1.14

0.73

0.44 – 1.02

10) If an activity or movement causes back pain, you should avoid it in the future

2.08

1.03

1.40

0.89

0.68

0.45 – 0.92

^a2) Your back is well designed for the way you use it in daily life

1.71

0.96

1.08

0.37

0.63

0.46 – 0.81

^a31) Expecting your back pain to get better helps you to recover from back pain

2.23

1.05

1.70

1.15

0.53

0.26 – 0.80

^a17) When you have back pain, you can do things which increase your pain without harming the back

1.90

0.99

1.41

0.88

0.49

0.26 – 0.72

32) Once you have had back pain there is always a weakness

1.71

0.89

1.23

0.70

0.48

0.28 – 0.67

26) When you have back pain the risks of vigorous exercise outweigh the benefits

2.15

1.10

1.68

1.07

0.47

0.21 – 0.74

19) It is worse to have pain in your back than your arms or legs

3.24

1.25

2.81

1.47

0.43

0.10 – 0.76

20) It is hard to understand what back pain is like if you have never had it yourself

3.98

1.04

3.55

1.39

0.42

0.12 – 0.72

13) Back pain means that you have injured your back

1.58

0.91

1.19

0.60

0.40

0.21 – 0.58

18) Having back pain makes it difficult to enjoy life

4.14

1.00

3.75

1.25

0.39

0.11 – 0.66

^a15) Thoughts and feelings can influence the intensity of back pain

1.28

0.50

1.03

0.17

0.25

0.16 – 0.34

34) Once you have a back problem, there is not a lot you can do about it

1.26

0.57

1.03

0.22

0.23

0.12 – 0.33

^a16) Stress in your life (financial, work, relationship) can make back pain worse

1.26

0.52

1.07

0.26

0.19

0.09 – 0.29

^a27) If you have back pain you should try to stay active

1.19

0.48

1.02

0.12

0.17

0.09 – 0.26

25) If you have back pain you should avoid exercise

1.24

0.58

1.09

0.31

0.16

0.04 – 0.27

21) If your back hurts, you should take it easy until the pain goes away

1.76

0.94

1.66

1.19

0.10

−0.16 – 0.36