The Impact of Physiotherapy on Anxiety and Depression in Chronic Pain Patients: A Prospective Study in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital

Background: Chronic pain seldom occurs in isolation; it is often accompanied by anxiety and depression, each amplifying the other`s impact and ultimately eroding quality of life. Increasingly, physiotherapy is acknowledged as a discipline that can furrow both the body and the mind when faced with persistent pain. Objective: This study aimed to assess whether an 8-week, structured physiotherapy programme could moderate anxiety, depression, pain intensity, and functional disability in adults presenting with chronic musculoskeletal pain at a tertiary Saudi Arabian referral centre. Methods: Eighty patients participated in a prospective cohort study, attending two sessions per week that combined conventional physical rehabilitation with foundational psychological techniques. Change was quantified through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), recorded at baseline and again after programme completion. Results: Group-level analyses revealed pronounced and statistically robust shifts across all instruments. Mean anxiety scores fell by 3.8 points, depression by 3.9, NPRS by 2.8, and ODI by 10.7, each with p values less than 0.001. Conclusion: The findings indicate that a physiotherapy intervention blending physical and psychological components can concurrent mental wellbeing and observable gains in pain and function for chronic pain patients. Integration of such psychologically informed methods into routine physiotherapeutic practice is therefore warranted