[Results of a pilot study on the role of therapy expectation in interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy for chronic back pain].

backgroundChronic low back pain is a serious persistent illness with profound personal and socioeconomic impact. Interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy (IMPT) is one of the few evidence-based treatment options for chronic pain. Although it is known that pain perception, as well as its chronification and treatment are affected by patient expectations, only few clinical interventions or guidelines on how to modulate these effects exist.

objectivesThe aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of expectancy as a predictor for pain and related outcomes. To this end, we will present explorative pilot data from an observational cohort at our clinic.

methodsThe study shows preliminary data of a prospective longitudinal observational study of up to 41 chronic back pain patients who followed an IMPT at the back pain center in Essen. Data were collected at admission (T0), at discharge (T1), and 3 months after discharge (T2). Primary outcomes were pain intensity and disability. Additionally, we measured treatment expectancy at admission. We used linear regression to analyze the impact of pretreatment expectancy on the primary outcome measures.

resultsIMPT led to a significant improvement in pain intensity and disability. The effect on pain intensity was stable over three months after discharge and disability declined even further. Expectancy was a significant predictor of improvement in pain intensity and explained approximately 15% of the variance. DISCUSSION: Expectancy is an important predictor of treatment outcome in IMPT. In clinical practice, valid methods should therefore be established to reduce negative and promote positive expectations.