The influence of the grade of chronicity on the outcome of multidisciplinary therapy for chronic low back pain

The use of a biopsychosocial model in the treatment of patients with chronic

OBJECTIVE

To explore the available knowledge on the application of biopsychosocial model (BPS) in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

METHODS

A scoping review, including 32 papers that used a BPS to manage adult patients with CLBP, published in any language. Six different databases were searched.

RESULTS

According to the description of the protocols, most of them use BPS for assessment of the patients. In this first stage the most often evaluated were pain and disability, kinesiophobia and quality of life, and work-related factors. The intervention most used associate psychological and physical domains using pain education or cognitive functional therapy and active exercise. Even though was not the most common, in the social domain occupational, behavioral and family interventions were observed.

CONCLUSION

BPS is more often used as combination of physical and psychological aspects, being the social domain restricted to work-related factors. Patien'ts perception of their health status is little explored, and it is suggested that the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health be used.

PRACTICE IMPLICATION

Patient perception as well as social factors in addition to occupational ones should be included in the clinical approach of the patient with CLBP and should be further explored in research.

[Debora: Long-Term Effectiveness of an Inpatient Combined Pain Competence and Depression Prevention Training for Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain and Depressive Symptoms]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of an intervention for pain competence and depression prevention for multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation of non-specific chronic low back pain on psychological and work-related outcomes over a 2-year period.

METHODS

This prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial evaluated the effects of pain competence training with and without depression prevention on depressive symptoms (General Depression Scale; ADS; primary outcome), anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), pain self-efficacy (Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire) and subjective prognosis of gainful employment (SPE; secondary outcomes) in n=422 patients aged 32-64 years from four rehabilitation clinics. Per protocol analyses were conducted. In the three-factorial design with a repeated-measures factor, patients were stratified by treatment condition; the control group (CG) received only pain management training but the intervention group (IG) was additionally treated with depression prevention training (Debora). Based on the ADS, patients were assigned to without or low depressive symptoms (ADS<23; n=208) and medium or high depressive symptoms (ADS≥23; n=214). The fivefold repeated-measures factor included the following sample points: admission, immediately after and 6, 12, and 24 months after rehabilitation. Per protocol results of univariate 2×2×5 analyses of variance were validated by n=1225 multiple imputed data.

RESULTS

No significant effects of treatment condition over the 2-year period were yielded in the primary outcome "depressive symptoms", but only patients with the combined training Debora benefited in pain self-efficacy in the long term. Intention-to-treat analyses suggest incremental effects of Debora on pain self-efficacy and anxiety at 24-month follow-up. In the long term, patients with high levels of depressive symptoms improved exclusively in depressive symptoms or they benefited more than patients with low depression in anxiety. However, favorable effects receded in general from post rehabilitation to 24-month follow-up.

DISCUSSION

 The results support that a disorder-specific depression prevention training is needed for the long-term improvement in pain self-efficacy, which is considered a crucial psychological protective factor in pain chronification. Findings on depressive symptoms support the effectiveness of multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation in high depression, but also the great importance of early treatment of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

 Overall, the results strengthen the need to implement psychotherapeutic treatment elements and, in particular, cognitive-behavioral methods and, moreover, a systematic allocation of patients to needs-based treatments in order to improve long-term effects.

Injection of Ultra-Purified Stem Cells with Sodium Alginate Reduces Discogenic Pain in a Rat Model

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major cause of low back pain. However, treatments directly approaching the etiology of IVD degeneration and discogenic pain are not yet established. We previously demonstrated that intradiscal implantation of cell-free bioresorbable ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel promotes tissue repair and reduces discogenic pain, and a combination of ultra-purified, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rapidly expanding clones; RECs), and the UPAL gel increasingly enhanced IVD regeneration in animal models. This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of injecting a mixture of REC and UPAL non-gelling solution for discogenic pain and IVD regeneration in a rat caudal nucleus pulposus punch model. REC and UPAL mixture and UPAL alone suppressed not only the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and TrkA (p < 0.01, respectively), but also IVD degeneration and nociceptive behavior compared to punching alone (p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, REC and UPAL mixture suppressed these expression levels and nociceptive behavior compared to UPAL alone (p < 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that this minimally invasive treatment strategy with a single injection may be applied to treat discogenic pain and as a regenerative therapy.

Prognostic Factors for Quality of Life After Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation in Patients with Chronic Pain-A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Health-related quality of life (hrQoL) is a core outcome in evaluating interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR). This systematic review aimed to identify prognostic factors for hrQoL at least six months after IPR in chronic pain patients.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane CENTRAL until September 2020. Included were prognostic studies on the outcome hrQoL in adults aged 18 to 67 years with chronic pain (excluding malignancies, systemic-, inflammatory or degenerative joint diseases) who had undergone IPR. Studies were assessed with The Quality in Prognostic Studies-tool. Potential prognostic factors at baseline for the domains pain, psychological and physical functioning were qualitatively synthesized for hrQoL. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation was used to evaluate the level of evidence.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies on 6,668 participants (mean age 37.4-52.8 y), with musculoskeletal pain/fibromyalgia and a pain duration ranging between 13.1 and 177.4 months were considered eligible. With a very low certainty of evidence, pain intensity, emotional distress, and physical functioning at baseline were inconsistent for prediction of hrQoL and pain duration was not predictive. With low certainty of evidence, fewer pain sites, lower levels of negative cognitive behavioral factors, and higher levels of positive cognitive behavioral factors predicted a better outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall certainty of evidence was low to very low, making it difficult to reach definitive conclusions at present. Future studies with a predefined core set of predictors investigating hrQoL in patients with chronic pain after IPR are needed.

Ultra-purified alginate gel implantation decreases inflammatory cytokine levels, prevents intervertebral disc degeneration, and reduces acute pain after discectomy

Lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation causes severe low back pain (LBP), which results in substantial financial and emotional strains. Despite the effectiveness of discectomy, there is no existing treatment for post-operative LBP induced by progressive IVD degeneration. Two key factors of LBP are intradiscal inflammation, indicated by tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and sensory nerve ingrowth into the inner layer of the annulus fibrosus, triggered by nerve growth factor/high-affinity tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) signalling. In an animal models of discectomy, the bioresorbable ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel with an extremely low-toxicity has been effective in acellular tissue repair. We aimed to investigate whether UPAL gel can alleviate LBP using a rat nucleus pulposus (NP) punch model and a rabbit NP aspirate model. In both models, we assessed TNF-α and IL-6 production and TrkA expression within the IVD by immunohistochemistry. Further, histological analysis and behavioural nociception assay were conducted in the rat model. UPAL gel implantation suppressed TNF-α and IL-6 production, downregulated TrkA expression, inhibited IVD degeneration, and reduced nociceptive behaviour. Our results suggest the potential of UPAL gel implantation as an innovative treatment for IVD herniation by reducing LBP and preventing IVD degeneration after discectomy.

[Psychotherapy in the Context of Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Therapy: Update]

Interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy (IMPT) is based on the biopsychosocial model of pain and describes an integrated treatment for patients with chronic pain. IMPT incorporates a close cooperation of different disciplines, including physicians, psychotherapists, physiotherapists, and others. IMPT mainly aims to restore and increase patients' physical, social and psychological functional capacity. The efficacy of IMPT has been evidenced by systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A number of studies further indicate IMPT's cost-efficiency. Psychotherapy is an essential component of IMPT. Its main goal within the framework of IMPT is to identify and modify dysfunctional patterns of pain coping, and to diagnose and potentially treat psychological comorbidities. Pain psychotherapy comprises mostly cognitive-behavioral interventions which address dysfunctional coping at the three levels of the pain experience (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and behavioral). Research into the efficacy of pain psychotherapy is rather sparse and studies have mostly focused on chronic back pain, yet existing results show promising evidence both for psychotherapy within IMPT and for psychotherapy as a monotherapy. This paper aims at providing an overview of (a) commonly employed cognitive-behavioral psychotherapeutic approaches and strategies in the treatment of chronic pain, and (b) the existing empirical evidence of pain psychotherapy both within the framework of IMPT and as a monotherapy. Future research should include a wider range of pain diagnoses and also investigate the potential benefit of individually-tailored treatments.

Therapeutic Effect of Mirogabalin on Peripheral Neuropathic Pain due to Lumbar Spine Disease

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mirogabalin in treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain due to lumbar spine disease.

Overview of Literature

Mirogabalin is a novel selective ligand for the α2δ subunit of voltage-gated Ca channels.

Methods

Between April and December 2019, we used mirogabalin to treat 60 consecutive patients (mean age, 67.6 years) with leg symptoms due to lumbar disease. The treatment outcome after 8 weeks of mirogabalin therapy was evaluated by comparing the preand post-administration Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for leg symptoms and sleep disturbance, the NRS and Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire for low back pain (LBP), and the quality of life (QOL) score (based on EuroQol five-dimension five-level scale).

Results

Mirogabalin treatment was stopped at less than eight weeks in eight patients. The remaining 52 patients for evaluation were divided as group 1 (17 patients who presented with leg symptoms that lasted for less than 3 months) and group 2 (35 patients with leg symptoms that lasted longer than 3 months). The leg symptoms and LBP in both groups significantly improved at 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, and sleep disturbance and QOL were improved at 8 weeks as well. Compared to group 2, the pretreatment leg symptoms and QOL were significantly worse in group 1, and their improvement after 8 weeks of mirogabalin treatment was significantly better (p<0.05). Of the 60 original patients, 17 suffered adverse effects, which were mild in 16 patients and required treatment cessation due to excessive weight gain in one patient.

Conclusions

We have validated the effect of mirogabalin on neuropathic pain due to lumbar spine disease, which has effectively addressed the associated leg symptoms, LBP, and sleep disturbance.

Therapeutic Efficacy and the Impact of the "Dose" Effect of Acupuncture to Treat Sciatica: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Purpose

To investigate the required sample size for and feasibility of a full-scale randomized controlled trial examining the impact of the “dose” effect of acupuncture in treating sciatica.

Patients and methods

Fifty-seven patients with sciatica, aged 35–70 years, were recruited and screened. Thirty-one participants were randomly assigned to receive “low-dose” manual acupuncture (MAL) (n= 15) or “high-dose” manual acupuncture (MAH) (n=16). The acupuncture treatment was administered twice weekly for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) score at baseline and after 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes included the Roland Disability Questionnaire for Sciatica (RDQS), the Sciatica Bothersomeness Index (SBI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life in the Brief Edition (WHOQOL-BREF) scores at baseline and after 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment.

Results

Thirty patients completed the study. For all patients, acupuncture achieved significant improvement in the VAS (5.48±2.0, p<0.001), RDQS (3.18±2.83, p=0.004), and SBI (2.85±3.23, p=0.008) scores, but not in the WHOQOL-BREF scores. In the between-group analysis, the assessed scales showed no significant differences between the MAL and MAH groups. However, based on the level of chronicity, the MAH group demonstrated greater improvement in the outcomes and a significant benefit in the physical subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Results of this pilot study indicate that acupuncture is safe and may effectively relieve symptoms and disability in patients with non-acute sciatica. MAL was as effective as MAH in treating sciatica. A subsequent trial with a larger sample size (estimated at n=96) is required to confirm whether patients with a high level of chronicity would benefit from MAH treatment.

Trial registration

NCT03489681.

Unexpectedly decreased plasma cytokines in patients with chronic back pain

Introduction

Chronic back pain is one of the most important socioeconomic problems that affects the global population. Elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, have been correlated with pain, but their role in chronic back pain remains unclear. The effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs seems to be limited for chronic back pain. The authors wanted to investigate the levels of inflammatory mediators in long-term medically treated patients with persistent chronic back pain.

Methods

Cytokine plasma levels of patients with chronic back pain (n=23), compared to pain-free healthy controls (n=30), were investigated by immunoassay. Patients with chronic back pain were exposed to long-term conservative medical therapy with physiotherapy and anti-inflammatories, also combined with antidepressants and/or muscle-relaxants.

Results

The patients with chronic back pain expressed lower levels of the chemokines MCP1, CCL5, and CXCL6 compared to pain-free healthy controls. Significantly lower concentrations of the anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4 and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor were also found. Interestingly, levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha), IL-10, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha showed no significant differences between both groups.

Conclusion

This decrease of inflammatory mediators in medically treated patients with chronic back pain is of unclear origin and might be either a long-term side effect of medical therapy or related to chronic pain. Further longitudinal research is necessary to elucidate the underlying cause of these findings.

The Short-Term Effect of Integrated Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatment in Inpatients Diagnosed with Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Herniation: A Prospective Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the short-term effect of hospital-based intensive nonsurgical treatment in lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IDH) inpatients admitted to an integrated hospital that offers both complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional medicine treatment.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study.

SETTINGS

A private Korean medicine hospital inpatient setting in Korea.

PATIENTS

A total of 524 inpatients diagnosed with lumbar IDH admitted from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013.

INTERVENTIONS

The participants received treatment according to a CAM treatment protocol (herbal medicine, acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, and Chuna manipulation) and conventional medicine treatment as needed.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Numeric rating scale (NRS) of low back pain (LBP) and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and patient global impression of change. The study also assessed whether improvement was obtained over minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in LBP or leg pain.

RESULTS

The average hospital stay was 24.4 ± 13.2 days. The majority of patients received CAM treatment and a few selected conventional medicine, such as pain killers (22.7%; 4.2 ± 3.0 administrations) or nerve blocks (14.1%; 1.4 ± 0.7 sessions). At discharge, the average reduction in NRS was 3.18 ± 2.29 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.99-3.38) for LBP and 2.61 ± 2.60 (95% CI, 2.38-2.83) for leg pain the average reduction in ODI was 19.45 ± 19.53 (95% CI, 17.77-21.12). Two-hundred and seventy patients (51.5%) showed improvement over MCID in both NRS and ODI, 150 (28.6%) in either NRS or ODI, and 104 (19.8%) in neither.

CONCLUSIONS

Integrated CAM treatment during hospitalization was effective for patients with lumbar IDH who had severe LBP and disability. However, these results must be investigated further to assess whether the effects surpass those seen with placebo and are cost-effective.

[Effects of interdisciplinary functional restoration treatment with cognitive behavior therapy in patients with chronic back pain: healthcare research in the context of selective contracts]

INTRODUCTION

The efficacy of functional restoration programs for the treatment of chronic back pain is well documented. Nevertheless, there are only a few such centres in Germany and few trials have been conducted in German-speaking regions to demonstrate that implementing such programs in everyday clinical settings with large numbers of patients is just as effective as in a research setting. The present study examined whether the positive effects of such programs can also be observed in the clinically relevant context of a standardized day clinic treatment regimen.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 681 back pain patients in 2 German cities were examined at 4 measurement points (before and immediately after the program, as well as 6 and 12 months after treatment) using a comprehensive questionnaire on perceived pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as the work situation.

RESULTS

In both cities significant and long-term improvements in back pain, pain-related impairment and degree of chronification were observed, as well as a high return-to-work rate after treatment. Hence, the quality of such programs was also confirmed for a large patient population.

[Multimodal therapy programs for chronic pain]

Chronic pain is a common and disabling disorder with major consequences for patient quality of life and it is also a major economic burden to society. The management of chronic pain comprises a large range of different intervention strategies including pharmacological therapy, non-medicinal and invasive therapeutic options. While non-pharmacological and multimodal options are underused, monomodal options, especially pharmacotherapy and invasive therapies are overused. The effectiveness of multidisciplinary and multimodal treatment programs including physical and rehabilitation interventions and psychological treatment has been extensively studied in the last two decades. Evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrates that there is low quality evidence for the effectiveness of exercise therapy alone, there is some evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral therapy and there is at least moderate evidence for the effectiveness of multidisciplinary and multimodal treatment and other active treatment reducing pain and increasing functional capacity at short and intermediate term. Therefore, blanket coverage with provision of adequate treatment programs for chronic pain as well as studies evaluating the best composition of treatment elements are needed. The characteristics of chronic pain, the necessary assessment procedures and treatment types are described.

Effects of multidisciplinary pain treatment can be predicted without elaborate questionnaires

PURPOSE

Low back pain is one of the most common and expensive diseases of Western societies. Psychosocial factors such as low social status, depression, or work dissatisfaction are known to promote chronicity of low back pain. With a multidisciplinary approach, better outcomes can be achieved than with purely biomedical treatment. Optimal patient selection for multidisciplinary therapy reduces costs and labour. This study investigated whether elaborated questionnaires exceed simple items in predicting multimodal therapy success.

METHODS

In this prospective longitudinal clinical study, 330 patients were followed up for six months after multidisciplinary therapy. We applied the patient questionnaire Heidelberg Short Early Risk Assessment Questionnaire for the Prediction of Chronicity in Low Back Pain (HKF-R10) that is approved and established for predicting chronicity in patients with acute low back pain to forecast the therapeutic outcome. Outcome criteria were QOL, pain reduction and back to work.

RESULTS

With regard to outcome criteria, the HKF-R10 was unable to anticipate therapeutic success, but education level, depression, best pain condition, and helplessness predicted therapy success with an 80% probability for QOL improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not necessary to confront patients with an extensive and complicated questionnaire to predict the outcome of multidisciplinary therapy. In fact, assessing a few specific items allows better and easier prognosis estimation.

[Structure and process quality of multimodal pain therapy. Results of a survey of pain therapy clinics]

Multimodal therapy has demonstrated good clinical effectiveness in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes. However, within the German health system a comprehensive and nationwide access to multimodal therapy is not available and further improvement is therefore necessary. In order to analyze the current status of multimodal therapy and specifically its structural and procedural requirements and qualities, a survey was carried out in 37 pain clinics with established multimodal treatment programs. An anonymous questionnaire was used for data collection. Results demonstrated that a substantial accordance was found between all pain clinics concerning requirements for space, facilities and staff. Structured multidisciplinary assessments were carried out by all pain clinics even though the amount of time allocated for this varied widely. The main focus of multimodal therapy in all facilities was based on a common philosophy with a cognitive-behavioral approach to reduce patient helplessness and avoidance behavior and to increase physical and psychosocial activities as well as to strengthen self-efficacy. Some differences in the ways and means to achieve these goals could be demonstrated in the various programs.

[Success of treatment in higher stages of pain chronification as well? An evaluation of the Mainz pain staging system based on the QUAST-analysis sample]

BACKGROUND

More than 10 years ago Gerbershagen gave a pessimistic prognosis for treatment success in patients with higher stages of pain chronification. To date only few studies concerning this statement exist and the results are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of the Mainz pain staging system (MPSS) in a large multicenter sample. It was assessed whether effects of treatment in patients with higher stages of pain chronification are less than those in other patients. Of further interest was whether treatment success is related to different outcome measures.

METHODS

A total of 1,461 patients with the pain syndromes headache, neuropathic pain, back pain or algiomuscular pain and arthralgia were enrolled in the analysis. They were selected from the QUAST analysis sample which includes patients from 19 cooperating pain clinics. All patients had completed the German pain questionnaire prior to pain treatment and these data were compared with the last available questionnaire during the course of treatment. Outcome measures were pain intensity, psychological disability scores and patient global impression of success (PGIS).

RESULTS

Analysis showed a significant improvement of all outcome measures in every MPSS stage. The greatest improvement was noted for pain intensity whereas outcome variables regarding mental health revealed the lowest improvement. Compared with patients with low pain chronification, changes in pain intensity were smaller for patients with the highest MPSS stage III but even in these patients the strength of effect was more than 0.80. About 50% of all patients showed a reduction of pain intensity of 2 or more points on an 11 point numerical rating scale and 46.6% of patients with a MPSS stage III showed this improvement. Importantly, PGIS was independent of the stage of chronification. Nearly 45% of all patients evaluated the treatment success as good or very good.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the view of the patients, treatment in specialized pain centres is successful even in the highest stage of pain chronification. This notwithstanding, success of treatment must not be confounded with the efficacy of an intervention. It has to be noted that the results of the current study do not allow conclusions regarding efficacy of treatment.

[Interdisciplinary treatment. Long-lasting, effective, and cost-effective]

The efficacy of intensive interdisciplinary pain management programs for patients with chronic low back pain has been repeatedly demonstrated. A controversial issue in previous studies is the cost-effectiveness of this treatment. Between 2001 and 2006, a total of 575 patients with chronic nonspecific back pain took part in an outpatient pain management program at the German Red Cross Pain Center (DRK Schmerz-Zentrum Mainz) in Mainz, Germany. Complete follow-up data were available for 351 patients 1 year after the end of treatment and were included in the study. No differences between these patients and the dropouts were found. Pain, impairment, and mental well-being had significantly improved after 1 year. For employed patients, the number of absent days decreased to almost one-quarter. On the basis of the study by Wenig, who calculated pain-related costs as a function of Von Korff pain grades, the treatment resulted in a savings of euro 3,329.50 per year per patient. Intensive multidisciplinary treatment of chronic back pain is highly effective and, at least for patients with high levels of disability, is also cost-effective.

[Multimodal pain therapy: principles and indications]

Multimodal pain therapy describes an integrated multidisciplinary treatment in small groups with a closely coordinated therapeutical approach. Somatic and psychotherapeutic procedures cooperate with physical and psychological training programs. For chronic pain syndromes with complex somatic, psychological and social consequences, a therapeutic intensity of at least 100 hours is recommended. Under these conditions multimodal pain therapy has proven to be more effective than other kinds of treatment. If monodisciplinary and/or outpatient therapies fail, health insurance holders have a legitimate claim to this form of therapy.Medical indications are given for patients with chronic pain syndromes, but also if there is an elevated risk of chronic pain in the early stadium of the disease and aiming at delaying the process of chronification. Relative contraindications are a lack of motivation for behavioural change, severe mental disorders or psychopathologies and addiction problems. The availability of multimodal pain treatment centers in Germany is currently insufficient.

Effects of gender and cognitive-behavioral management of depressive symptoms on rehabilitation outcome among inpatient orthopedic patients with chronic low back pain: a 1 year longitudinal study

Psychological factors have been found to be of major importance for the transition from acute to chronic low back pain (CLBP). Although some evidence has been provided that depressive symptoms occur secondarily to CLBP, psychological treatment modules that specifically address depressive symptoms are not yet included in German inpatient rehabilitation programs. In this study, a standard rehabilitation program for patients with CLBP and depressive symptoms was compared to a standard rehabilitation, into which a cognitive-behavioral management training of depressive symptoms was integrated. Moreover, treatment effects of this multidisciplinary standard rehabilitation program delivered to patients with either no or only mild depressive symptoms were investigated. As a further aim of the present study, gender effects on rehabilitation outcomes were examined. Short-, mid-, and long-term effects on individual global improvement as well as pain-related, psychological, and work-related measures were evaluated among N = 199 consecutively admitted patients with CLBP, aged from 24 to 62 years. The standard rehabilitation program had no persisting effects on psychological outcomes among patients with no and mild depressive symptoms. Patients with moderate and severe depressive symptoms in the standard rehabilitation program did not benefit with clinical importance at the 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments, but did show clinically significant improvements in psychological outcome measures at the 6-month follow-up assessment when the supplemental psychological component was applied. Additionally, days of sick leave decreased in the intervention group in the mid-term when compared to the baseline. Females benefited more in mental health than males. However, due to regression effects at the 12-month follow-up assessment, booster sessions are highly recommended. The results presented here support the notion that a more adequately tailored rehabilitation program seems to improve rehabilitation success and prevent further development of CLBP among this high-risk subpopulation.

[Multimodal integrated assessment and treatment of patients with back pain. Pain related results and ability to work]

INTRODUCTION

The results of conventional chronic back pain therapy are unsatisfactory. Deconditioning, psychosocial disorders and prolonged disability are common sequelae.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The health insurance fund Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse (DAK) offers an interdisciplinary assessment by the Berlin-Brandenburg back pain network (BBR) to its members with ongoing work disability on account of back pain. After medical, physiotherapeutic and psychological exploration one of the following four options is suggested: further diagnostics, outpatient monomodal treatment, day-care pain management program of two intensities or inpatient pain treatment. The data of 394 patients with the leading diagnostic group of back pain (M54, ICD 10, 65.7%) and disability for 92.7 days (mean) are presented.

RESULTS

The patients were severely impaired in physical and psychosocial aspects. The chronification was moderate (stage II-III of Mainz Staging System, MPSS). The success of treatment was evaluated 6 months after the initial assessment. All groups showed a significant reduction of pain, anxiety and depression whereas the wellbeing and daily activities improved, but best in the day-care pain management groups.

CONCLUSION

Patient selection by a health fund, interdisciplinary assessment and severity adapted treatment resulted in significant reduction in pain and functional improvement in disabled back pain patients.