Multidisciplinary rehab costs $$. Is it worth it?
Take Home Messages:
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain should be carried out by a team including a psychologist to provide psychological treatment, a social worker, occupational nurse or occupational therapist to address the social aspects, and an occupational nurse or physiotherapist to address the work-related issues.
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain is significantly more expensive than usual care, however to date studies do not indicate that it results in better treatment outcomes.
However, very few studies have been conducted on this topic, and more are required to determine whether multidisciplinary rehab represents value for money.
Why the research matters:
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation is widely used in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain, however it requires a significant number of resources and is expensive. There is little evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention. Therefore, it is important to determine whether multidisciplinary rehabilitation is better than usual care in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain.
What the research involved:
This study reviewed the literature to investigate the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation, addressing the physical, psychological, work-related and social aspects of injury, in treating neck in shoulder pain in working adults.
The researchers determined that the treating team should involve a psychologist to provide psychological treatment, a social worker, occupational nurse or occupational therapist to address the social aspects, and an occupational nurse or physiotherapist to address the work-related issues.
An extensive electronic search of the literature found only two studies on this topic. Neither of these studies was of a high quality.
Summary of research findings:
Neither of the two studies included in review showed a significance difference in recovery following multidisciplinary rehabilitation compared to standard care.
Based on the available evidence, it could not be shown that multidisciplinary rehabilitation is better than usual care in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain. The review concluded that due to the current lack of studies, there is an urgent need for further high quality research on this topic.
Original research:
Multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation for neck and shoulder pain among working age adults.
Karjalainen K, Malmivaara A, van Tulder M, Roine R, Jauhiainen M, Hurri H, Koes B.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(2):CD002194. Review.