Child and adolescent physiotherapy for musculoskeletal pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Person-centred child and adolescent physiotherapy for musculoskeletal pain: the PCAP-MSK study.
IRAS ID
339287
Contact name
Rhiannon Joslin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 00 days
Research summary
Muscle and joint pains, sprains, and broken bones are all common as a child. While most young people can get better, for others pain can continue into adult life. Long-term pain affects friendships, going to school and mental health, and is a leading cause of disability across the world.
Physiotherapy treatment is recommended for these symptoms but very little is known about why it can help. Past research showed it was how the treatment was given that mattered to young people and impacted their recovery. The World Health Organization reported that young people experiencing pain, keep saying they want physiotherapy treatment to be personalised yet, we do not know the best way to make this happen.
This 2-year research project joint-funded by the Medical Research Foundation and Versus Arthritis, aims to develop a training package for physiotherapists that will guide treatment to be personalised (this is an intervention). The intervention is being designed in stages by people who have experience of physiotherapy for pain including fifteen young people (14-18 years old) and one of their parents, and fifteen physiotherapists.
In Stage 1, hands-on workshops with youth will select creative ways to help youth to retell their story and set treatment goals. This will provide a draft of the intervention. The child and parent (Stage 2) and physiotherapists (Stage 3) will then use the draft intervention the way it will be used in physiotherapy sessions. Their feedback will improve the draft until no changes are made. Stage 4 will make the training package for physiotherapists. A future study can then compare the result of physiotherapy with and without the training.
The wishes of young people have been listened to and acted upon. Longer-term, personalising physiotherapy could increase the number of children who get better, and prevent pain lasting into adult life.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0108
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion