Evaluation of the effect of psychological recovery tools on back pain in an out-patient prevention program.

BACKGROUND: Stress and recovery have recently been linked to health issues and back pain (BP) occurrence. However, the evaluation of these aspects in prevention programs has not been approached so far.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to exploratively scrutinize the effectiveness of recovery interventions to reduce BP within a multimodal, out-patient prevention program. The secondary aim consisted in the evaluation of these recovery interventions in terms of reducing stress and increasing recovery.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study with 58 employees was conducted. Thirty-one individuals participated in a multimodal out-patient prevention program for 12-weeks, with recovery interventions being conveyed as add-ons. The control group did not receive treatment. At baseline (T0) and after the prevention program (T1), both groups completed psychometric instruments assessing BP, stress, and recovery.

RESULTS: A MANOVA indicated that Pain Intensity (p = 0.039), Disability (p = 0.011), and Overall Stress (p = 0.001) were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group. Overall Recovery (p = 0.008) significantly improved in the intervention group while deteriorating in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes emphasize the relevance of recovery tools for BP prevention and for reducing stress and enhancing recovery in an out-patient prevention program.