Prof. Dr. Sabina Hotz Boendermaker

Work at ZHAW

Position

Professor in the Department of Physiotherapy Sciences

Focus

Pain psychology fear avoidance behavior, activity patterns, cortical reorganization, sensorimotor System, Action Observation, Motor imagery, virtual reality, functional MRI; ACT Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,Mindfulness

Experience

Senior Researcher
ZHAW
08 / 2016 - 08 / 2023

Network

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9455-6074

Projects

• Dysmenorrhea in Focus / Project leader / ongoing
• The Course and Neuroplasticity in Neck Pain-Associated Disorders and Whiplash-Associated Disorders in the General Population / Project leader / completed
• Bi-directional interactions of sensory perception, motor performance and fear of movement in the development of persistent low back pain / Project leader / completed
• Spine Posture Monitoring (DigiSpine) / Team member / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Delalay, M. and Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2026) 'A scoping review of physiological and behavioural pain responses of ultramarathon runners', Sports, 14(10), p. 427. doi: 10.3390/sports14100427.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. et al. (2026) 'Exploring the associations of cortical connectivity-modulation with clinical and psychological measures in acute low back pain', Frontiers in Pain Research, 7(1884788). doi: 10.3389/fpain.2026.1884788.
• Morf, R. et al. (2026) 'Activity patterns and stress - prognostic factors for pain persistence and disability in acute neck pain : a 1‐year prospective cohort study', European Journal of Pain, 30(6), p. 70303. doi: 10.1002/ejp.70303.
• Delalay, M. and Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2026) 'Mental pain responses of ultramarathon runners : a scoping review', Sports, 14(2), p. 72. doi: 10.3390/sports14020072.
• Morf, R. et al. (2025) 'Prognostic value of activity patterns and stress measures for persistent pain and disability in acute neck pain : a 3-month follow-up study', Frontiers in Pain Research, 6. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2025.1686389.
• Morf, R. et al. (2025) 'Frequencies of persistence, activity pacing, fear avoidance and general stress in acute neck pain', Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 23(100308). doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2025.100308.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. et al. (2024) 'Translation, reliability, and validity of the German version of the Activity Patterns Scale (APS) in musculoskeletal pain : a methodological study', BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25(884). doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-07986-x.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. et al. (2024) 'Persistence, not avoidance, is associated with low back pain : an observational cohort study', European Journal of Pain. doi: 10.1002/ejp.4728.
• Pfeiffer, F. et al. (2024) 'The course of acute low back pain : a community-based inception cohort study', Pain Reports, 9(3), p. e1152. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001152.
• Nijs, J. et al. (2024) 'Nociceptive, neuropathic, or nociplastic low back pain? : the low back pain phenotyping (BACPAP) consortium's international and multidisciplinary consensus recommendations', The Lancet Rheumatology, 6(3), pp. E178–E188. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00324-7.
• Luomajoki, H., Pfeiffer, F. and Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2023) 'Psychologische Faktoren im Fokus : Fragen als Schlüssel zum Behandlungserfolg', MSK – Muskuloskelettale Physiotherapie, 27(4), pp. 217–222. doi: 10.1055/a-2125-8078.
• Dietrich, N., Luomajoki, H. and Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2023) 'The association between mechanical temporal summation, state anxiety at baseline, and persistent low back pain : a 12-month prospective cohort study', BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 24(1), p. 957. doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-07046-w.
• Heussler, M. et al. (2022) 'Watch your back: development and usability of a visual feedback system for people with low back pain : a single subject usability study', Physioscience, 18(03), pp. 110–116. doi: 10.1055/a-1460-2339.
• Boendermaker, B. et al. (2022) 'Adaptive changes in sensorimotor processing in patients with acute low back pain', Scientific Reports, 12(1), p. 21741. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26174-2.
• Morf, R. et al. (2021) 'Prediction and trend of tactile acuity, pain and disability in acute LBP : a six-month prospective cohort study', BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 22(666). doi: 10.1186/s12891-021-04530-z.

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

• Hotz, S. et al. (2025) 'Neural networking : investigating brain communication and wind-up phenomenon in acute low back pain patients', in 14th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC, Lyon, France, 24-26 April 2025. Winterthur: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-36185.
• Dietrich, N., Luomajoki, H. and Hotz-Boendermaker, S. (2024) 'Mechanical temporal summation and state anxiety in acute low back pain : predictors for pain persistence?', in IFOMPT 2024, Basel, Switzerland, 4-6 July 2024. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-31499.
• Pfeiffer, F. et al. (2024) 'Longitudinal analysis of determinants influencing the course of acute low back pain : insights from an inception cohort', in IFOMPT 2024, Basel, Switzerland, 4-6 July 2024.
• Pfeiffer, F. et al. (2023) 'The natural course of acute low back pain in the general population : an inception cohort study', in 13th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC, Budapest, Hungary, 20-22 September 2023. Available at: https://europeanpainfederation.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ABSTRACT_BOOK_T-2023.pdf.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. et al. (2023) 'Overactivity, not avoidance behavior, is associated with persistent low back pain : an observational cohort study', in 13th Congress of the European Pain Federation (EFIC), Budapest, Hungary, 20-22 September 2023. Winterthur: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-30152.

Other publications

• Morf, R. et al. (2025) 'Frequencies of persistence, activity pacing, avoidance behaviour and general stress in acute neck pain', in 14th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC, Lyon, France, 24-26 April 2025.
• Morf, R. et al. (2024) Study protocol: Activity patterns and stress – prognostic factors for pain persistence and disability in acute neck pain. A one year prospective inception cohort study. OSF. doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/DFY2J.
• Morf, R. et al. (2024) 'Study protocol: Activity patterns and stress – a one year inception cohort study in people with acute neck pain', in IFOMPT 2024, Basel, Switzerland, 4-6 July 2024. Winterthur: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-34915.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2022) 'Das "Menschlein" im Laufe der Zeit – Homunkulus', Ergopraxis, 15(01), pp. 32–37. doi: 10.1055/a-1660-9749.
• Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2021) 'Ein Hoch auf das Menschlein : der Homunkulus damals und heute', physiopraxis, 19(07/08), pp. 28–33. doi: 10.1055/a-1494-1818.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

Pfeiffer, F. et al. (2025) 'From acute onset to persistence : trajectories and biopsychosocial factors in LBP', in Physioscience. Thieme, p. S5. doi: 10.1055/s-0045-1812356.

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