Table 3 Outcome characteristics: pain intensity on a 11-point scale, Characteristic pain = mean current, average and maximal on a 100-point scale, Habitual Well Being (Marburger Fragebogen zum habituellen Wohlbefinden, MFHW), Disability score, Depression, Anxiety and Stress measured with the HADS-D (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and the DASS (Depression-, Anxiety-Stress-Scale), * paired t-test, **Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney-Test, ^a p-values using Bonferroni corrections, p-values of non-normally distributed data based on Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney-Test, all effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and confidence intervals (95% CI) based on t-test for paired samples

Current pain

6.0 (4.0; 8.0)

5.0 (2.0; 6.0)

25

0.038**^a

Mean pain

6.0 (5.0; 8.0)

6.0 (3.5; 6.5)

24

0.026** ^a

Maximal pain

8.5 (7.625; 9.375)

8.0 (6.5; 9.0)

24

0.046** ^a

Characteristic pain intensity

69.1 (5.7)

55.1 (16.5)

23

0.001*

0.77

[0.34; 1.21]

MFHW (daily task)

2.0 (1.0; 3.75)

3.0 (2.0; 5.0)

21

0.99** ^a

MFHW (inwardly fulfilled)

1.0 (0; 2.75)

3.0 (1.0; 3.0)

20

0.34** ^a

MFHW (feeling comfortable)

1.0 (1.0; 5.0)

3.0 (2.0; 4.0)

20

0.030** ^a

MFHW (enjoying life)

1.0 (0; 2.0)

2.0 (1.0; 3.0)

20

0.11** ^a

MFHW (satisfied with work performance)

2.0 (0.25; 3.0)

2.0 (0; 3.5)

20

6.56** ^a

MFHW (satisfied with physical state)

0 (0; 1.75)

2.0 (0.5; 3.0)

20

0.073** ^a

MFHW (truelly happy)

2.0 (1.0; 3.0)

3.0 (1.5; 5.0)

20

0.27** ^a

MFHW total

10.8 (7.6)

17.6 (8.3)

20

0.016*

−0.59

[−1.06; −0.12]

Disability Score Daily living

3.7 (2.9)

4.7 (2.9)

20

0.59* ^a

−0.27

[− 0.68; 0.15]

Disability Score Leisure time

7.0 (2.5)

5.4 (2.7)

20

0.074* ^a

0.48

[0.07; 0.89]

Disability Score Work

6.3 (2.7)

5.6 (3.3)

20

0.897* ^a

0.21

[−0.20; 0.63]

Disability Score total

56.9 (23.4)

52.3 (25.6)

20

0.42*

0.16

[−0.25; 0.58]

Depression

9.5(4.3)

7.1 (5.5)

25

0.02*

0.50

[0.08; 0.91]

Anxiety

7.8 (4.9)

4.9 (4.1)

25

0.005*

0.62

[0.21; 1.03]

Stress

9.9 (4.0)

8.7 (3.8)

7

0.70*

0.59

[−0.34; 1.51]