Open AccessImpact of a Functional Restoration Program on Pain and Health‐Related Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain
Author(s) -
Huge Volker,
Schloderer Ulrike,
Steinberger Martin,
Wuenschmann Bernt,
Schöps Peter,
Beyer Antje,
Azad Shahnaz C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
pain medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1526-4637
pISSN - 1526-2375
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2006.00238.x
Subject(s) - quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , chronic pain , physical therapy , low back pain , alternative medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , nursing , pathology
Objective. Functional restoration programs for chronic low back pain (CLBP) have been shown to be successful in improving function and, to a lesser extent, in reducing pain. The Munich Functional Restoration Program (MFRP) is a 4‐week outpatient program designed to reduce pain and to improve health‐related quality of life in patients with a long history of CLBP. Design. In a retrospective matched concurrent‐controls therapeutic study, 44 patients with CLBP, who had either undergone MFRP or received an outpatient standard treatment (control) after initial evaluation at the pain center, completed questionnaires 1 year after the respective therapy (t1). The following parameters were assessed: health‐related quality of life with Short Form‐36 (SF‐36), Pain Disability Index (PDI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, depression with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test (CES‐D), and occupational situation. These data were compared with baseline values assessed by a questionnaire completed before starting the respective treatment (baseline, t0). Results. Compared with control, NRS and PDI were significantly better in patients completing the MFRP. Patients of the MFRP group showed also a significant reduction in CES‐D as well as an improvement in three of eight SF‐36 subscales. No changes were detected in the control group receiving standard treatment. Conclusions. Compared with standard treatment, a functional restoration program for CLBP significantly improves some aspects of health‐related quality of life. It results in a decrease of pain and pain‐related disability even in patients with a long history of CLBP.