Safety and outcomes of intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment for patients with and without pediatric generalized joint hypermobility: a longitudinal retrospective study.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-19-2025
Identifier
DOI: 10.1007/s00296-025-05947-8
Abstract
Intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) effectively treats pediatric patients with highly impairing chronic pain; however, safety and outcomes for patients with comorbid pediatric generalized joint hypermobility (pGJH) have not been rigorously examined. This study assessed the prevalence of injuries and physical and psychosocial outcomes of IIPT for patients with chronic pain with and without pGJH. This study was a retrospective review of patients admitted to an IIPT program providing 40 h of weekly physical and psychological therapies for approximately 4-6 weeks. Joint protective methods were utilized, and all participants had daily assessment by a medical provider, including assessment of injuries. Pain intensity, health-related disability, and social, emotional, and academic functioning were measured via standardized, self- and parent-report measures at baseline, weekly during treatment, and at established follow-up time points of one-, six-, and 12-months post-program completion. Of 304 patients (M age = 15.3 years, SD = 2.1; 83.6% female), 45 (14.8%) were identified to have pGJH. There was no significant association between pGJH and injury during IIPT, x2 (1, N = 304) = 2.58, p = .108, with 17.8% (n = 8) of patients with pGJH and 9.3% (n = 24) of patients without pGJH sustaining injuries. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that patients with and without pGJH improved similarly, with statistically significant improvements in health-related disability, pain-catastrophizing, and parent-reported emotional functioning during treatment. These gains were maintained and accompanied by statistically significant improvements on all outcomes through the follow-up period (p-values < 0.01). These findings provide support for the safety and effectiveness of IIPT for pediatric patients with and without pGJH.
Journal Title
Rheumatology international
Volume
45
Issue
9
First Page
202
Last Page
202
PubMed ID
40828386
Keywords
Adolescent; Child; Chronic pain; Joint instability; Rehabilitation; Treatment outcome
Recommended Citation
Scheurich JA, Beals-Erickson SE, Wallace DP, et al. Safety and outcomes of intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment for patients with and without pediatric generalized joint hypermobility: a longitudinal retrospective study. Rheumatol Int. 2025;45(9):202. Published 2025 Aug 19. doi:10.1007/s00296-025-05947-8
COinS
