Innovative interventions in pain physiotherapy Advancing care for people with chronic pain

Background Chronic pain, with a prevalence of at least 17%, is a costly health problem associated with a high burden of disease. Musculoskeletal chronic pain is particulary common, which in many cases is treated with physiotherapy. Aim The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of innovative, promising physiotherapy interventions in pain management, to present their effectiveness and to discuss their implementation in healthcare. Methods A narrative review was conducted. The Cochrane, Medline (via PubMed) and PEDro databases were searched using the search terms chronic pain, physiotherapy, prevention, pain education, behavioural intervention, eHealth, and systematic review as well as chronic pain, guideline and relevant synonyms. Results One guideline review, two guidelines and ten systematic reviews were included. Chronic pain prevention, digital health apps, lifestyle interventions and behavioural approaches were identified as promising and effective interventions for people with chronic pain, showing the potential to meaningfully complement pain physiotherapy and improve quality of care. Conclusions Despite the predominantly positive results from systematic reviews, implementation in everyday care is difficult due to conditions of care and the contemporary education system for physiotherapists in Germany. Health services research can play an important role in accelerating the transfer of innovations into practice.