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OBJECTIVE	To establish whether there was a difference in health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) in people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders ( PwCMSKD ) after participating in a multimodal physiotherapy program ( MPP ) either two or three sessions a week .
METHODS	Total of 114 PwCMSKD participated in this prospective randomised controlled trial .
METHODS	An individualised MPP , consisting of exercises for mobility , motor-control , muscle strengthening , cardiovascular training , and health education , was implemented either twice a week ( G2 : n = 58 ) or three times a week ) ( G3 : n = 56 ) for 1 year .
RESULTS	HRQoL physical and mental health state ( PHS/MHS ) , Roland Morris disability Questionnaire ( RMQ ) , Neck-Disability-Index ( NDI ) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities ' Arthritis Index ( WOMAC ) were used to measure outcomes of MPP for people with chronic low back pain , chronic neck pain and osteoarthritis , respectively .
RESULTS	Measures were taken at baseline , 8 weeks ( 8 w ) , 6 months ( 6m ) , and 1 year ( 1y ) after starting the programme .
RESULTS	No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups ( G2 and G3 ) , except in NDI at 8 w ( -3.34 , ( CI 95 % : -6.94 / 0.84 , p = 0.025 ( scale 0-50 ) ) .
RESULTS	All variables showed improvement reaching the following values ( from baseline to 1y ) G2 : PHS : 57.72 ( baseline : 41.17 ; ( improvement : 16.55 % ) , MHS : 74.51 ( baseline : 47.46 , 27.05 % ) , HRQoL 0.90 ( baseline : 0.72 , 18 % ) ) , HRQoL-VAS 84.29 ( baseline : 58.04 , 26.25 % ) , RMQ 4.15 ( baseline : 7.85 , 15.42 % ) , NDI 3.96 ( baseline : 21.87 , 35.82 % ) , WOMAC 7.17 ( baseline : 25.51 , 19.10 % ) .
RESULTS	G3 : PHS : 58.64 ( baseline : 39.75 , 18.89 % ) , MHS : 75.50 ( baseline : 45.45 , ( 30.05 % ) , HRQoL 0.67 ( baseline : 0.88 , 21 % ) , HRQoL-VAS 86.91 ( baseline : 52.64 , 34.27 % ) , RMQ 4.83 ( baseline : 8.93 , 17.08 % ) , NDI 4.91 ( baseline : 23.82 , 37.82 % ) , WOMAC 6.35 ( baseline : 15.30 , 9.32 % ) .
CONCLUSIONS	No significant differences between the two groups were found in the outcomes of a MPP except in the NDI at 8 weeks , but both groups improved in all variables during the course of 1 year under study .
CONCLUSIONS	Implications for Rehabilitation A multimodal physiotherapy program ( MPP ) improves quality of life , overall health , and function in people with chronic musculoskeletal disease after an intervention of short , medium and long term .
CONCLUSIONS	This implies that twice a week MPP for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain has comparable results to three times a week provision and therefore may have implications in saving resources and cost for patients and service providers without compromising the outcomes of treatment .
CONCLUSIONS	These results can be considered not only for therapists , but also for managers who offer the services to optimise the balance cost-effectiveness of the proposed interventions .

