Follow-up results of an in patient behavioral pain treatment program

The aim of this study was to investigate the short- and long-term treatment efficacy of an interdisciplinary behavioral in-patient pain treatment program. The sample consisted of GO patients-with chronic back pain with varying somatic diagnoses. At admission, post-treatment and nine months after discharge the patients;received questionnaires assessing pain, physical and psychological disability as well as coping-related cognitions and behaviors. At the end of treatment, there was a significant reduction in nearly all measures of impairment and a significant::increase in pain-related coping-ability. These improvements persisted at the nine-month follow-up. In addition, pain-intensity was significantly reduced and 44,4% of the patients returned to work. These data suggest long-term positive effects of behavioral:inpatient treatment.