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.
Summary of study results:
Person-centred child and adolescent physiotherapy for musculoskeletal pain
Thank you to everyone who took part in this research. Your ideas, time and experiences helped us develop a new approach to support children and young people receiving physiotherapy.
About the Research
This research programme was led by Dr Rhiannon Joslin at the University of Southampton as part of a fellowship funded by the Medical Research Foundation and Arthritis UK.
The aim of the research was to develop a new approach to physiotherapy that helps make care more personalised for children and young people. This approach included training and resources for physiotherapists. The research focused on musculoskeletal conditions, which affect the muscles, bones, joints and ligaments.Who Was Involved?
Eleven children and young people who had experience of physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions helped design the new approach. Ten different young people and a parent or carer then helped test and improve it. Thirteen physiotherapists helped make sure the approach would work in real healthcare settings and co-designed the training resources they would need. The interviews took place between August 2024 and October 2025.What Happened During the Research?
Children, young people, parents, carers and physiotherapists worked together to create and improve a new person-centred approach to physiotherapy care. This included developing resources to help children and young people take a more active role in their care and creating training materials for physiotherapists.What Were the Results?
The research has:
1. Developed a new intervention to support children and young people to take part in their physiotherapy care.
2. Co-designed resources to help physiotherapists provide person-centred care.
3. Co-designed training resources to support the physiotherapy workforce.
4. Established a pathway to support future testing of this new approach.
The full findings are not available yet because they are currently being reviewed for publication. Once this process is complete, we will share the full results and an animation co-designed with young people that explains the findings in an easy-to-understand way.How Could This Help in the Future?
The next stage of research will explore whether this new approach can be used successfully in physiotherapy services and whether a larger study is possible. The research team hopes that this approach could help children and young people take a more active role in their physiotherapy and support goals that are important to them. If the approach can be used successfully, future studies will investigate whether it improves outcomes for children and young people and provides good value for healthcare services.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0108
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion