The place of occupational therapy in rehabilitation strategies of complex regional pain syndrome: Comparative study of 60 cases.

The purpose of the study was to assess the value of combining occupational therapy (OT) with physical therapy (PT) for the rehabilitation of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and to measure its effectiveness on activities of daily life. Sixty patients with CRPS type 1 were recruited and interviewed between September 1, 2014 and February 1, 2015. Thirty patients had undergone PT and thirty had undergone PT+OT. They were administered the short-form of the "Assessment of Life Habits" questionnaire (v.3.0 LIFE-H) created in Canada. This questionnaire consists of 16 items exploring activities of daily living, which were used to compare the effectiveness of the two rehabilitation protocols. The results of each test were submitted to the Wilcoxon test. After confirming the complexity of CRPS in terms of its etiology, clinical signs and progression, rehabilitation was effective, especially for pain. The patients who received PT+OT had on average 10% better dressing and undressing function, 25% better for meal preparation, and 20% better on personal care than those who underwent PT only. In CRPS, OT combined with PT brings a real benefit in restoring the essential activities of daily life. This strategy could be implemented as soon the diagnosis confirmed and continued for a very long time. It helps to avoid the risk of dependence on third parties.