# Relationships Between Pain-Related Psychological Factors, Gait Quality, and Attention in Chronic Low Back Pain

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $37,928

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Poor gait quality in chronic low back pain (cLBP) contributes to decreased mobility and functional decline. Those
with cLBP and pain-related psychological factors (e.g., fear-avoidance, pain catastrophizing) are at elevated risk
for these poor clinical outcomes. However, the relationships between fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing and
gait quality in cLBP remain unknown, largely due to use of inconsistent gait quality metrics in small samples. To
improve clinical outcomes in this at-risk population, there is a critical need to 1) examine relationships between
fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing and gait quality using rigorous metrics, and 2) conduct a mechanistic
exploration of contributors to gait quality impairments. As a first step toward the long-term goal of improving
physical therapy interventions for cLBP, the overall objective of this proposal is to 1) determine the relationship
between fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing and gait quality, and 2) test the contribution of attention on gait
quality in those with heightened fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing. The rationale is that establishing the ways
in which fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing are related to gait quality may lead to new treatment interventions
(e.g., cognitive reframing surrounding movement, attention-shifting strategies) to improve clinical outcomes in
this high-risk population. The central hypothesis is that 1) fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing is associated with
worse gait quality, and 2) reduced attention capacity associated with fear/catastrophizing contributes to poor gait
quality. Aim 1 is to determine the relationship between fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing and gait quality in
cLBP. Aim 2 is to determine the role of attention in the relationship between fear-avoidance/pain catastrophizing
and gait quality. Under Aim 1, accelerometry-based gait quality metrics will be derived from a large, existing raw
data set (n=500) collected as part of an ongoing grant (1U19AR076725-01). For Aim 2, 50 participants will be
recruited to perform a dual-task assessing the impact of attention on gait quality. The proposed project is
significant because it uses rigorous, accelerometry-based metrics to examine relationships between fear-
avoidance/pain catastrophizing and gait quality, and it is the first and necessary step toward identification of
novel treatment targets (i.e., fear, attention-related deficits) that when prioritized in physical therapy, may improve
outcomes in this population. Under this fellowship, the applicant will gain unique opportunities for integration of
top-tier research and clinical training through University of Pittsburgh’s DPT/PhD in Bioengineering program.
The proposed project will be completed within the University of Pittsburgh NIH-funded BACPAC Consortium
Mechanistic Research Center, where the trainee will have unrivaled access to experts across the country,
recruitment and biostatistical support, and novel infrastruc...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10860962
- **Project number:** 5F30HD112110-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna H Bailes
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $37,928
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-01 → 2025-02-12

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10860962

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10860962, Relationships Between Pain-Related Psychological Factors, Gait Quality, and Attention in Chronic Low Back Pain (5F30HD112110-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10860962. Licensed CC0.

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