Physiotherapy for Patient With Chronic Pain, With the Support of a Medical Alert Dog: A Pilot Study
Borgström, Christina (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202503073822
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202503073822
Tiivistelmä
Social and healthcare in Finland is facing major changes, which requires new thinking and innovative and cost-effective methods. This study highlights the possibility of implementing a medical pain alert dog to support the rehabilitation of patient with chronic pains.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a medical alert dog during a physiotherapy session could help the patient notice upcoming pain during the physiotherapy session. Another aim was to find the possible positive effects of the pain dogs’ presence in multi-professional collaboration in a pain team.
The setup was a pilot case study with four chronical pain patients. The chronical pain patients participated in dog assisted psychophysical physiotherapy, the professionals and the patients were interviewed. The study was conducted by using validated questionnaires, functional scales, pain scales and semi structured interviews.
The study shows that a medical pain alert dog is helpful for patients to identify upcoming pain, increase quality of life in a social rehabilitation point of view, and help the patient to learn about non-medical pain treatment. The presence of a medical pain alert dog increases the collaboration between professionals, especially when it comes to finding new ways of treating pain patients and motivates the staff to be involved.
This pilot study suggests that this novel and groundbreaking method can be introduced in the social and healthcare system in Finland, and there is a need for cost effective and new ways of thinking with chronical pain patients and their wellbeing. This study is part of a research project consortium, People and Animal Wellbeing at Work and in Society (PAWWS).
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a medical alert dog during a physiotherapy session could help the patient notice upcoming pain during the physiotherapy session. Another aim was to find the possible positive effects of the pain dogs’ presence in multi-professional collaboration in a pain team.
The setup was a pilot case study with four chronical pain patients. The chronical pain patients participated in dog assisted psychophysical physiotherapy, the professionals and the patients were interviewed. The study was conducted by using validated questionnaires, functional scales, pain scales and semi structured interviews.
The study shows that a medical pain alert dog is helpful for patients to identify upcoming pain, increase quality of life in a social rehabilitation point of view, and help the patient to learn about non-medical pain treatment. The presence of a medical pain alert dog increases the collaboration between professionals, especially when it comes to finding new ways of treating pain patients and motivates the staff to be involved.
This pilot study suggests that this novel and groundbreaking method can be introduced in the social and healthcare system in Finland, and there is a need for cost effective and new ways of thinking with chronical pain patients and their wellbeing. This study is part of a research project consortium, People and Animal Wellbeing at Work and in Society (PAWWS).