Treatment outcome in a chronic pain rehabilitation program.

One hundred patients were selected who had completed an outpatient rehabilitation program designed to teach competent coping with chronic pain. Data at follow-up periods averaging 21 months posttreatment indicated statistically significant decreases in subjective pain intensity and increases in activities of daily living with substantial reductions in use of medications for pain. Changes from pretreatment to follow-up were not significantly different among groups of patients with pending, current, or no disability. Eight of 19 unemployed persons who had pending disability claims had returned to work at follow-up. It was concluded that considerable changes in function can occur with relatively brief outpatient pain rehabilitation and that pending or current disability is not necessarily an indication of likely treatment failure.