Das Garmischer modell für die behandlung von schmerzpatienten in der kinder- und jugendrheumatologie

Barely any available treatment is effective in children and adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The increasing number of these patients motivated us to develop our own therapeutic concept. It is a multidisciplinary approach consisting of medical advice and care, psychological counseling in individual and group settings, physiotherapy with fitness training and occupational therapy as well as therapeutic activities as part of adventure exercises. Drug therapy plays a limited role since it has been proven inefficient in most patients. Any adjuvant therapy should consider analgesics on demand and, for a few severely adamant cases, antidepressants or serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Our preliminary results are promising. The therapy increases the self-confidence in children and adolescents. We could often improve social interactions, reduce absenteeism from school and encourage leisure activities. Frequently but not invariably, this was associated with a significant reduction in pain intensity.