Use of physical performance tests in a group of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking individuals with low back pain.

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition across cultures, and the tools used for assessment of distinct groups need to be evaluated. Our goal was to investigate the psychometric properties of physical performance tests (PPTs) in a group of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking (BPS) individuals with LBP in a nonexperimental, descriptive study. BPS individuals with and without LBP were studied, and PPTs, self-report questionnaires, and VAS pain score were evaluated. Thirty individuals with LBP (Patient Group (PG)) and 30 healthy subjects (Control Group (CG)) were assessed by 7 PPTs: timed up and go (TUG), loaded forward reach (LFR), 50-foot walk (50 FW), 5-minute walking (5 MW), sit-stand (SS), repeated trunk flexion (RTF), and lumbar flexion (LF). The PG completed the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Self-efficacy Scale (SES) and rated their current level of pain by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). PPTs were highly reliable in the PG with ICC scores ranging from 0.92 to 0.99 (p < 0.0001). The CG performed better in all PPTs but the LFR. In the PG the correlations among the PPT varied from 0.38 to 0.78 (p < 0.05). RMDQ correlated significantly with RTF, SS, 5 MW (0.38 to 0.47, p < 0.05). PPTs were reliable with the BPS patients and able to differentiate groups. RMDQ complements the assessment of these patients.