BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low back pain is a major musculoskeletal system problem and generates high costs for the health system. Regardless of etiology, chronic low back pain patients tend to decrease their physical activities routine, thus impairing fitness and mood. So, it is necessary to establish the relationship among variables involved in the etiology of low back pain, which are noxious for patients' performance. This study aimed at comparing the distance covered during a six-minute walking test (6MWT) and the following psycho-social variables: mood perception and level of disability between chronic low back pain and healthy individuals. METHOD: This was an observational transversal study with volunteers of both genders, sedentary, aged between 30 and 58 years, who were divided in control group (CG) and low back pain group (LG). Volunteers answered a battery of questionnaires, as follows: Oswestry Disability Index and Brunel Mood Scale to determine the level of disability and mood perception, respectively. Then, volunteers made 6MWT. RESULTS: LG (25.44 ± 14.3%) had significantly higher levels of disability as compared to CG (1.25 ± 2.1%). It was also observed that LG had significantly higher levels of stress, fatigue and mental confusion as compared to CG. CONCLUSION: Low back pain patients were no different from their pain-free peers in the 6MWT performance, in depression, anger and vigor mood state. However, they presented higher levels of disability and poorer indices of fatigue, stress and mental confusion mood states.
Disability and health; International Functional Classification; Low back pain; Mood disorders
