Pain in patients attending outpatient rehabilitation: results of a pilot study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate pain occurrence, characteristics and correlations in an outpatient rehabilitation setting. This was an observational pilot study. The setting was an outpatient rehabilitation facility. The subjects included all patients attending physiotherapy in the week 25th to 29th September 2010 and the interventions were made using self-administered questionnaire. Ongoing pain was assessed by a yes-no question, pain intensity by a numeric rating scale (NRS) ranging 0-10. Pain-related medication was investigated, along with pain characteristics, patient treatment expectations, life satisfaction, and catastrophism. Of the 201 patients, 12 were excluded and 189 enrolled (age 63.6 ± 15.6; 70.4% women). Pain (mean NRS = 5.6 ± 2.4) was reported by 60.9% patients (66% orthopedic and 40% neurological). In 87.8% cases, pain was chronic (>6 months). According to patients reporting pain, the main objectives of treatment were both pain relief and functional recovery for 51%; pain relief for 24.9%; functional recovery for 22.8%. Low treatment expectations were reported by 15.3% patients; catastrophism by 40.7%; 28.6% patients were on pain medication: use of drugs was related to age (p = 0.005), pain intensity (p = 0.009) and catastrophism (p = 0.0003). In a multivariate analysis, pain was independently correlated with an orthopedic versus neurological diagnosis (p = 0.000), and with reduced treatment expectations (p = 0.020), while independent of age (p = 0.74) gender (p = 0.22), and catastrophism (0.17). A high prevalence of pain was observed in outpatients undergoing rehabilitation. Pain was chronic in most cases. Pain relief was the most desired treatment outcome by patients reporting pain. Pain complaint was independently correlated to orthopedic vs neurological diagnosis and to reduced treatment expectations.

Are non-invasive brain stimulation techniques effective in the treatment of chronic pain? – A Cochrane Review Summary with commentary

“…CP is a common reason for seeking rehabilitation, and also a common symptom in patients undergoing rehabilitation for other acute and chronic conditions (6). CP is often associated with one or more chronic diseases.…”

The acceptability of two remote monitoring modalities for patients waiting for services in a physiotherapy outpatient clinic

“…Access to public outpatient rehabilitation services for patients with non‐urgent conditions ‐ which consult mainly for musculoskeletal disorders ‐ (Cecchi et al., 2015; Landry et al., 2008; GTA Rehab Network, 2011; Passalent et al., 2007) is problematic in Canada and elsewhere in the world, with wait times ranging from a few weeks to more than a year (Deslauriers et al., 2017; Laliberte et al., 2017; Lawford et al., 2018; Palazzo et al., 2016; Salisbury et al., 2013). Too long a delay in starting rehabilitation treatment results in significant costs and is associated with higher levels of pain, more absenteeism from work, more medical consultations and interventions, and a greater risk of the condition becoming chronic (Deslauriers et al., 2021; Foster et al., 2011; Peretti et al., 2017).…”

Neuropathic Pain in the Elderly

“…Persons affected by neuropathic pain often report mood disorders and sleep disturbances as consequences of persistent pain. Lower satisfaction with life is common in patients with neuropathic pain, not only due to the symptoms of pain but also due to the impact of its consequences on the quality of life [17,18]. Neuropathic pain might affect the quality of life as much as other chronic illnesses, such as coronary artery disease or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus [19].…”