Effectiveness of Physiotherapist's Communication Skills on Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Musculoskeletal Patients

Effectiveness of Physiotherapist's Communication Skills on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the physiotherapist's communication on the clinical presentation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the physiotherapist's communication on the clinical presentation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Sixty-nine (69) patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain in the cervical or lumbar spine, knee, or shoulder will participate. They will be randomly divided into three groups, each consisting of thirty-three (33) patients. One group (Experimental- Good communication skills) will watch the video in which physiotherapist will develop qualities of good communication while he explains about chronic musculoskeletal pain, the other group (Experimental- Poor communication skills ) will view the video in which the physiotherapist imparts information and explains chronic pain without enhancing his communication skills and lastly, the control group (control) that will not view any video.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants should speak and understand the Greek language, as the questionnaires and the video will be in Greek
• Participants should experience pain in one of the following four different areas: cervical or lumbar spine, knee, or shoulder
• Pain of musculoskeletal origin
• Pain lasting more than 3 months, evident on most days of the week to be classified as chronic pain, with a pain intensity of at least 3/10 Numeric Pain Rating Scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Medication for neurological/psychiatric disorders
• Pain medication on the day agreed upon with the researcher, in order to minimize the potential influence of medication
• Undergoing surgery in the last six months
• Pregnancy or childbirth before 1 year