The experience of meaningful rehabilitation as perceived by people with chronic pain: A phenomenological study.
Katrina J Liddiard, Annette J Raynor, Helen DeJong and 1 others
PMID 36057809WHAT IT FOUND
People with chronic pain found rehabilitation meaningful when therapists acted as credible guiding partners who shared power.
They valued genuine human connection over strict professional boundaries, and wanted goals defined by their own identity rather than just pain reduction.
Key findings
01Participants identified three new themes of meaningfulness: genuine connection, credibility, and a guiding partner.
02Therapists were seen as more credible when they acknowledged the lived experience of chronic pain, not just academic knowledge.
03Participants preferred a reciprocal relationship with shared power over traditional professional boundaries.
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
Small sample size (10 participants) limits transferability of findings. Participants were English-speaking and recruited via social media and professional networks, which may introduce selection bias. The study explored perceptions of meaningfulness, not clinical outcomes like pain reduction or functional improvement. Researcher bias was mitigated but present, as the lead author was an occupational therapist with pain management experience.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that this approach reduces pain or improves function. The study describes what clients found meaningful, not what was clinically effective.