The impact of a novel musculoskeletal consult service in an inpatient rehabilitation facility: A descriptive analysis

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pathologies significantly affect the rehabilitation course for patients admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF). The impact of a specialized inpatient MSK consult service has not been previously evaluated. Objective: To assess the demographics, pathologies, and impact on pain scores of patients who were evaluated by a specialized MSK consult service. Design: Retrospective descriptive analysis of patients at an IRF who were evaluated by the MSK consult service. Setting: Academic IRF. Participants: 230 patients evaluated by the MSK consult service over 4.5 years. Interventions: MSK consult service composed of sports medicine fellowship-trained physiatrists who use history, physical examination, point-of-care ultrasound, and specialized MSK knowledge to assess and address MSK barriers to functional improvement. Main outcome measures: Primary rehabilitation diagnosis, length of stay, discharge destination, reason for consult, MSK diagnosis, need for injection, change in Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) pain scores, change in Functional Independence Measures (FIM). Results: A total of 230 consults met inclusion criteria for analysis. The most common symptoms were shoulder pain (47%), knee pain (30%), and hip/groin pain (10.4%). The MSK consult service made 82 different musculoskeletal and neuromuscular diagnoses. The most common primary rehabilitation diagnosis was stroke (28.3%). Injections were performed in 44.3% of consults, with an average reduction in NPRS pain score of 2.3 (SD 1.9) and a statistically significant reduction in average NPRS pain scores in patients who underwent injections compared to those who did not (p < .001). Conclusions: This study is the first to examine the use of an innovative inpatient MSK physiatry consult service in an IRF. This promising consult service can play a pivotal role in patient care by reducing functionally limiting MSK pain to allow for better toleration of therapies and to optimize functional gains.