The aim of this thesis was to investigate the (re)organization of the primary motor cortex in people with low back pain (LBP), as well as to explore whether changes in the primary motor cortex correlate with changes in clinical tests – a motor control test, sensory tests, and pain sensitivity and modulation tests – over time. Additionally, we investigated whether the organization of the primary motor cortex changes in those who recover from LBP, those who do not recover, and those without LBP, and whether these changes differed between groups. Thus, both cross-sectional and longitudinal aspects of the relationship between the organization of the primary motor cortex and clinical tests in LBP and recovery were explored, with the goal of linking fundamental and clinical insights.
