Online pain self-management did not show an advantage over a booklet
A Brazilian trial found no statistically significant difference in pain intensity, while its economic analysis depended on the outcome used.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The online program did not demonstrate better pain relief than an online booklet at the primary assessment. Secondary outcomes also showed no statistically significant differences. This does not prove the approaches are equivalent. The economic findings were more favorable for pain improvement than for quality-adjusted life years, and the authors urged caution about interpreting the trial.
High dropout rates and the trial’s timing during the pandemic limit interpretation. The abstract also omits the pain scale’s range, making the size of the reported mean difference harder to interpret.
What researchers found
Pain intensity
Mean difference for ReabilitaDOR versus the booklet at 8 weeks; pain scale unspecified. The confidence interval included no difference.
What the pain result shows
The main estimate favored the program numerically, but its confidence interval crossed zero. The data therefore did not establish superiority, while still leaving uncertainty about the size and direction of a possible effect.
Why costs tell another story
The economic analysis considered costs from a societal perspective. The authors viewed the program as potentially cost-effective when assessed through pain improvement, but not when assessed through quality-adjusted life years.
The original publication
Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of an Internet-Based Self-management Program for People With Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Economic Evaluation (the ReabilitaDOR Trial).
Saragiotto BT, Fioratti I, Reis FJJ et al.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41385356
- Record checked
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