The study concludes that a special five-week
cognitive-behavioral interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme can
influence the pain, life satisfaction and, to a small extent,
activity limitations of the patients in the right direction.
Surprisingly only patients with positive beliefs about recovery
before rehabilitation showed a decrease in pain intensity at the
one-year follow-up.
Among the findings increased working ability and higher quality
of life seemed to be predicted by the patient's self efficacy
beliefs. Self-efficacy influences the effort one puts forth to
change perceived risk behaviors and the persistence to continue
striving despite barriers and setbacks that may undermine
motivation. In the study, fear of movement/reinjury was leading to
a reduc tion in the patient´s sense of control of pain and
increased pain, which in turn lead to increased avoidance of normal
activities. On the other hand there is support that a
multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme could increase
patient self efficacy beliefs in control of their pain, increase
their internal control over pain and at the same time reduce their
perception of external control of pain.
That the patient´s belief about recovery plays such an important
role is an interesting finding, because it highlights that, from
the very beginning of the pain rehabilitation process, this factor
should be taken into consideration when planning the rehabilitation
programme.
Torture survivors are often seriously disabled by chronic pain
causing a lower quality of life as well as psycho-social and mental
health problems. Randomized controlled trials of torture survivor
rehabilitation are costly, but urgently warranted. In the present
study, the studied patient group consisted of a non-traumatized
patient population. Nonetheless, the evidence has to be considered
a valuable contribution to the knowledge we have about pain
management and rehabilitation.
"Patients' pretreatment beliefs about recovery influence outcome of
a pain rehabilitation program"
By: Merrick, D. and Sjölund, B. H.
In: European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine
vol. 45, no. 3
Go to abstract
Written by Heidi K. Tokle