Chronic low back pain and inaccurate predictions of pain: is being too tough a risk factor for the development and maintenance of chronic pain?

The present study tests whether chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients show a tendency to overpredict or to underpredict pain. Twenty CLBP patients and 20 healthy controls underwent 6 trials of laboratory induced pressure pain. Ratings of predicted and experienced pain intensity were obtained. In contradiction with the hypothesis that CLBP patients show a generalized tendency to overpredict pain, CLBP patients showed a tendency to underpredict the laboratory pain, whereas controls appeared to be more accurate. This finding replicates a previous finding, that there may be a substantial group of CLBP patients who underestimate pain. The tendency to underpredict pain may constitute a risk factor for the development and maintenance of CLBP.