[Long-term effects of interventional treatment on chronic pain of the musculoskeletal system. Retrospective outcome study of repeated in-patient treatment].

INTRODUCTION: Interventional procedures are frequently used for treatment of musculoskeletal pain syndromes but current scientific evidence does not show successful outcome in chronic cases. In this study the effect of repeated interventional treatment on the long-term outcome of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain was examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to prepare for a retrospective outcome study (RCT) on proliferation therapy the clinical records of 38 patients who had been repeatedly treated (minimum 5 times) with an interventional treatment concept were examined. RESULTS: Patients were treated on average 10 times with approximately 107 single injections during each treatment cycle. In the long term the chronic pain syndrome showed a statistically significant deterioration with a generalization of the pain as well as an increase in pain medication, surgery and psychosocial impairment.. DISCUSSION: Repeated treatment cycles of interventional pain therapy did not lead to an improvement in the treated pain syndromes and in the long term the pain syndromes deteriorated further. It seems likely that the interventional approach promoted this adverse development but the data of this study are not sufficient to conclusively prove this thesis.