Self-Management Interventions to Prevent the Secondary Condition of Pain in People with Disability Due to Mobility Limitations

Introduction This focused review examines the use and effectiveness of self-management strategies in preventing or managing pain, which is among the most common secondary conditions faced by individuals with a mobility disability. Methods This focused review was part of a two-phase comprehensive scoping review. Phase I was a comprehensive scoping review of the literature targeting multiple outcomes of self-management interventions for those with mobility impairment, and Phase II was a focused review of the literature on self-management interventions that target pain as a primary or secondary outcome. Two authors searched CINAHL, PubMed, and PsyclNFO for papers published from January 1988 through August 2014 using specified search terms. Following the scoping review, the authors independently screened and selected the studies and reviewed the eligible studies, and the first author extracted data from the included studies. Results The scoping review yielded 40 studies that addressed pain self-management interventions for those living with mobility impairment. These 40 accumulated papers revealed a heterogeneous evidence base in terms of setting (clinic, community, and online), target populations, intervention duration (3 weeks to 24 months), and mode (health-care providers and lay leaders). Most of the reviewed studies reported that the self-management intervention led to significant reduction of pain over time, suggesting that self-management may be a promising approach for addressing pain experienced by people who live with mobility limitations. Discussion This review also reveals moderate-to-high bias across studies, and findings indicate that future research should enhance the methodological quality to provide stronger evidence about the effectiveness of self-management strategies for reducing pain among those with mobility impairments.