Table 2 Perceptions present within the narratives of people with chronic disabling non-specific neck pain
Themes | Subthemes | Codes |  | Best fit with perception dimension… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
How my neck pain journey began and why it continued | Uni- versus multicausal contributing factors | A particular event | Causes | |
A combination of multiple causal factors | ||||
Maintaining factors | An accumulation of multiple factors and/or a vicious circle | Provoking factors | ||
Labelling my condition | A range of beliefs; from unknown to clear (predominantly biomedical) beliefs | Unknown | Identity | |
Stress, dissatisfaction or being vulnerable | ||||
Anatomical/ pathophysiological substrate | ||||
Impact: Multiple symptoms that require attention and action | The impact of neck pain on daily functioning | Just keep going | Consequences | |
Withdrawal from activities | ||||
Emotional impact | Feeling insecure, frustrated, guilty, lonely, worrying | Emotional representation | ||
Difficult to accept | ||||
Coping with neck pain | Choosing the coping strategies that seem to make sense | Limit the load | Controllability | |
Building strength and resilience | ||||
Regaining mobility | ||||
Keep moving | ||||
Being meaningful and having some distraction | ||||
Along the road: perceptions and experiences | Uncertainty for the future | Optimistic, hopeful | Timeline & emotional representation | |
Pessimistic | ||||
Uncertain | ||||
Need for an appropriate explanatory construct | A(n) (endless) quest | Coherence | ||