Previously submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research (no longer under consideration since Apr 13, 2023)
Date Submitted: Aug 21, 2022
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A text network analysis of global literature on self-management of low back pain
ABSTRACT
Background:
The growth of low back pain (LBP) self-management literature requires assessing evidence by adopting macro perspectives to identify future directions.
Objective:
This study aimed to examine the trends and relationships among essential concepts in LBP self-management literature and unfold schematic diagrams of such relationships.
Methods:
A quantitative content analysis of publications on self-management of low back pain using text network analysis. Based on extensive searches of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases concerning LBP self-management, we examined keywords utilizing the Text Rank Analyzer through an applied text network analysis with NetMiner 4.3.3.
Results:
A total of 3,163 articles were published from 1977 to June 2021. Global literature has expanded from the existence to the growth phase. In the knowledge structure, the keywords “pain,” “patient,” “LBP,” “therapy,” and “program” were highly networked to other keywords and produced respective groups. “Self-management,” the 7th highest centrality keyword, did not formulate a group. The results from topic modeling included clinical management and intervention research involving medication and surgical treatment to mitigate physical and mental health comorbidities and potential complications from work-related diseases. Variations occurred in the literature volume by the country’s income level: six in low- and 2,994 in high-income countries.
Conclusions:
Self-management began being considered critical in a range of LBP management. However, limited research existed on psychosocial factors associated with LBP and its biological components and how these factors can be utilized in self-management. Besides research reflecting clinical practice in low-income countries, theory-based research involving pain-specific factors and self-regulation is required. Our findings will raise healthcare professionals’ awareness of the importance of self-management, thus hopefully leading to system-level LBP management strategies. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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