Interdisciplinary multimodal pain treatment improves movement-related activities in patients with chronic pain: a longitudinal observational study
Physiother Theory Pract. 2026 Jul 5:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2026.2699340. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic pain has serious consequences for society and individuals, including impairments in physical activity during daily life, work, and leisure time. Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Treatment (IMPT) has been shown to improve physical well-being. Using the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), a self-report tool, allows us to examine the activities important to patients and how they improve.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of IMPT on movement-related activities in individuals with chronic pain. The study further aims to identify the most frequently reported activity subgroups and specific activities, and to determine which of these show the greatest improvement following treatment.
METHODS: In a longitudinal observational study, patients with chronic pain were assessed using the PSFS at baseline, after 5 weeks of IMPT, and at 6-month follow-up. All patients attended a day care program based on the biopsychosocial model of disease and consisting of physiotherapeutic, somatic and psychotherapeutic treatment approaches at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck, Germany.
RESULTS: Of the 217 patients (mean age 55 years, 71% women) who completed IMPT, significant improvements in movement-related function were observed from baseline to follow-up (p < .001, η2 = .43-.46). Locomotion was the most frequently reported activity subgroup, with walking the predominant activity. Significant differences were observed in all analyzed activities and subgroups, primarily between baseline and follow-up. Age, symptom location, duration and chronification stage had no significant influence on outcomes.
CONCLUSION: IMPT was shown to have a robust treatment effect on improving movement-related activities in patients with chronic pain. Notably, the sport activity subgroup showed the greatest improvements and was the only subgroup actively targeted in the IMPT program. These findings suggest that engaging in activities identified by patients as problematic within the IMPT program may facilitate clinically meaningful functional gains.
PMID:42402877 | DOI:10.1080/09593985.2026.2699340