Contact with the Physiotherapist as a Factor Improvement on Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation: An Empirical Study

In the last decades a number of alternatives theories and models incorporate psychological (perception, consciousness) and behavioral (avoidance) factors to explain the experience of pain, the perception of pathology as well as the effectiveness of rehabilitation. However, there are insufficient data on the effect of the patient’s relationship with the physiotherapist on rehabilitation, at least to our knowledge. The hypothesis of the present empirical study, is how the physiotherapist’s attitude (availability, response, frequency of communication) affects the course of recovery in combination with the patient’s perspective on his overall health and improvement. In our study, 52 adults participated, with average age 53 years old, 12 of them were men. All were diagnosed with musculoskeletal problems, suffered from pain, their daily function was reduced, and all took part in a specific two-month exercise and physiotherapy program. Patients treated for emotional and/or mood disorders were excluded from the study. At the end of the rehabilitation program, the frequency of pain and daily functionality were measured. Moreover, it was evaluated quantitatively (telephone communications) and the intermediate communication of the patients with the physiotherapist, while in the last session the patient answered the question, how important did he/she consider the communication with the physiotherapist for his/her individual improvement and the answer was given on a 5-point Likert scale. From the statistical analysis showed a strong correlation of the patients’ improvement with the frequency of communication they had with the physiotherapist and with how important they considered this relationship for their rehabilitation.