Long-term effects of rehabilitation and prevention of further chronification of pain among patients with non-specific low back pain

BACKGROUND: Psychological factors influence the development and persistence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and may impair the psychosocial rehabilitation success. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a combined pain competence and depression prevention training compared to the pain competence training alone and as well as the patients’ stages of pain on the long-term psychosocial rehabilitation success. METHODS: In this controlled multicentre study with cluster-block randomization, patients with CLBP in different stages of pain (I–III) received either pain competence training (control group, CG; [Formula: see text] 255) or combined pain competence and depression prevention training (intervention group, IG; [Formula: see text] 271; per protocol). Depressive symptoms (primary outcome), anxiety, somatization, health status, and average pain intensity (secondary outcomes) were assessed up to 12 months of follow-up. Standardised questionnaires were used to record the outcomes, which were filled out by the patients themselves. Analyses after multiple imputation ([Formula: see text] 1225) were conducted to validate multi- and univariate analyses of variance. RESULTS: Patients in stage of pain I and II showed significant improvements in depressive symptoms, anxiety, mental health, and average pain intensity at the 12-month follow-up, irrespective from treatment condition. CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary rehabilitation seems to be appropriate for patients with CLBP in stage of pain I and II. However, patients in stage of pain III need more psychological treatments to manage their mental comorbidities.