Chronic pain renders many individuals incapacitated and increases the risk of opioid dependence throughout the lifetime course of treatment. The efficacy of an intensive non-opioid interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program (CPRP) was previously established in headache patients1 and was expanded to include a broader range of primary pain conditions in this study. Assessments of pain intensity (0-10), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores (measuring mood), Pain Disability Index scores (PDI; measuring function), and coping styles, utilizing the brief COPE questionnaire were compared in 133 patients at admission versus discharge. Statistical and clinically significant improvements, in addition to the predictive potential of patient characteristics and baseline pain, mood, and function, were investigated using repeated measures, paired t-tests, binary logistic regression, and ANOVA. Depression (18.4±11.1 v. 6.8±7.3), anxiety (12.4±9.9 v. 5.9±6.7), disability scores (44.0±1.0 v. 21.3±14.9), and pain (6.8±2.1 v. 3.6±2.5) were significantly reduced over the course of CPRP (p<0.001). Marital status (Wilks’ Lambda= 0.89, F(4,228)=3.407, p=0.010) and primary pain condition (Wilks’ Lambda= 0.83, F(12,228)=1.925, p=0.033) impacted mood with the most significant improvement in depression of single individuals and anxiety of fibromyalgia patients. Clinically significant improvement of at least one level of depression was enhanced by acceptance type coping and was diminished by substance abuse coping, higher disability levels, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms at admission (X2(4)=32.6, p<0.001). Older age, single status, and planning style coping at admission predicted clinically lower disability by discharge (X2(4)=15.2, p=0.004). Improvement of pain and anxiety level were negatively impacted by each additional year of chronic pain an individual had already experienced (X2(1)=5.9, p=0.015 and X2(1)=11.0, p=0.001). Taken together, this study indicates the potential pain, mood, and function benefit of an interdisciplinary program and may enable improved risk stratification and personalization of chronic pain treatment. (1. Zheng, Headache, 2013.) Chronic pain renders many individuals incapacitated and increases the risk of opioid dependence throughout the lifetime course of treatment. The efficacy of an intensive non-opioid interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program (CPRP) was previously established in headache patients1 and was expanded to include a broader range of primary pain conditions in this study. Assessments of pain intensity (0-10), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores (measuring mood), Pain Disability Index scores (PDI; measuring function), and coping styles, utilizing the brief COPE questionnaire were compared in 133 patients at admission versus discharge. Statistical and clinically significant improvements, in addition to the predictive potential of patient characteristics and baseline pain, mood, and function, were investigated using repeated measures, paired t-tests, binary logistic regression, and ANOVA. Depression (18.4±11.1 v. 6.8±7.3), anxiety (12.4±9.9 v. 5.9±6.7), disability scores (44.0±1.0 v. 21.3±14.9), and pain (6.8±2.1 v. 3.6±2.5) were significantly reduced over the course of CPRP (p<0.001). Marital status (Wilks’ Lambda= 0.89, F(4,228)=3.407, p=0.010) and primary pain condition (Wilks’ Lambda= 0.83, F(12,228)=1.925, p=0.033) impacted mood with the most significant improvement in depression of single individuals and anxiety of fibromyalgia patients. Clinically significant improvement of at least one level of depression was enhanced by acceptance type coping and was diminished by substance abuse coping, higher disability levels, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms at admission (X2(4)=32.6, p<0.001). Older age, single status, and planning style coping at admission predicted clinically lower disability by discharge (X2(4)=15.2, p=0.004). Improvement of pain and anxiety level were negatively impacted by each additional year of chronic pain an individual had already experienced (X2(1)=5.9, p=0.015 and X2(1)=11.0, p=0.001). Taken together, this study indicates the potential pain, mood, and function benefit of an interdisciplinary program and may enable improved risk stratification and personalization of chronic pain treatment. (1. Zheng, Headache, 2013.)
Read full abstract