Physical function and perceived pain following inpatient intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment for children and adolescents.
Mayank Seth, Kate Vieni, Kathryn Hottinger and 1 others
PMID 39791500WHAT IT FOUND
Children and adolescents in a 4-week inpatient interdisciplinary pain program showed large improvements in physical function, motor proficiency, and occupational performance, alongside reduced pain.
Without a control group, these gains cannot be definitively attributed to the program alone.
Key findings
01Participants showed significant improvements in lower and upper extremity function, motor proficiency, and occupational performance and satisfaction from admission to discharge.
02Participants reported significant reductions in perceived pain intensity, with a median drop of 3 points on the 0-10 scale.
03Pain medication use dropped from 45.7% at admission to 8.5% at discharge, and assistive device use dropped from 33.5% to 2.8%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group and no randomization, so it is impossible to determine if the improvements were due to the IIPT program, natural recovery, or other factors. Multiple treatments were given simultaneously (PT, OT, aquatic therapy, CBT, etc.), so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The study only measured outcomes from admission to discharge, with no long-term follow-up data on physical function. 113 of the original 371 participants were excluded due to missing data, which may introduce bias. Detailed information on prior treatments, specific pain medication types, and psychosocial measures was not available.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest, and the research did not receive specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the physical therapy or occupational therapy components alone caused the observed improvements. The participants received a comprehensive bundle of treatments including aquatic therapy, CBT, and schoolwork, and without a control group, the specific effect of any single discipline cannot be isolated.