Objective: To evaluate the use of an air flotation mattress overlay in patients with chronic pain.
Design: Four-week prospective AB design.
Setting: The mattress overlay was used in a community setting.
Subjects: Adult patients attending an outpatients clinic in a department of rheumatology, with chronic pain plus sleep problems, or pain sufficient to disturb sleep.
Interventions: An inexpensive low-pressure inflatable mattress overlay (Repose), which is readily portable and has no electrical supply, was introduced to the patients. They were encouraged to use the support surface every night.
Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was measured by self-reported changes in sleep quantity and frequency of sleep disturbance. Secondary outcomes were self-reported changes in pain and use of analgesia, verified by medical notes.
Results: Nineteen female patients (mean age 61 years) completed the study. At baseline, mean length of sleep time was 3.8 h, with mean of 4.9 interruptions of mean 25.3 min: week 4, mean sleep time = 6.4 h, with a mean of 2.3 interruptions for mean 14.2 min (all measures p < 0.001). At baseline, median pain during the day was 6 and at night-time was 7; by week 4 a reduction in pain was reported both for the day (median = 5) and the night (median = 5) (both p < 0.001). Thirteen patients reported a reduction in the use of analgesia during the study.
Conclusions: In this pilot study of a new mattress overlay, statistically significant improvements in sleep and pain were noted over a four-week period.