Journal CME, November 2023: The relationships between pain-associated psychological distress, pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain: A retrospective cohort study-Journal CME, November 2023: The relationships between pain-associated psychological distress, pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain: A retrospective cohort study

Journal CME, November 2023: The relationships between pain-associated psychological distress, pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain: A retrospective cohort study

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A retrospective cohort study examined the relationships between pain-associated psychological distress (PAPD), pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. The study included 534 patients with spinal pain or lower extremity osteoarthritis who underwent outpatient physical therapy. The results showed that PAPD was significantly associated with pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function at discharge. Each additional yellow flag present, which indicates the presence of PAPD, was associated with increased pain intensity and decreased patient expectations. PAPD was also associated with decreased physical function at discharge, but this relationship was significant only in the low back pain cohort. The study suggests that the pain experience is complex and influenced by multiple factors, including psychological distress, pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function. Clinicians should consider these relationships when evaluating and treating patients with musculoskeletal pain, and may need to tailor interventions based on each individual's pain-related psychological profile. Further research is needed to validate these findings in larger and more diverse populations.

Keywords

retrospective cohort study

pain-associated psychological distress

pain intensity

patient expectations

physical function

musculoskeletal pain

spinal pain

lower extremity osteoarthritis

outpatient physical therapy

yellow flag