Therapy Better than Meds in Alleviating Chronic Pain

Rebecca Lewis February 21, 2014

A new comprehensive review found that psychological interventions often provide more relief to chronic pain sufferers than prescription drugs or surgery, without the risk of side effects.

Chronic pain is defined as pain that has lasted longer than three to six months, though some theorists and researchers have placed the transition from acute to chronic pain at 12 months. According to the British Pain Society, almost 10 million Britons suffer pain almost daily resulting in a major impact on their quality of life and more days off work.

Despite the documented benefits, therapy is used much less frequently for pain relief than traditional medical treatments. “Chronic pain affects 116 million American adults, making it more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined, and traditional medical approaches are inadequate,” said Mark P. Jensen, PhD, University of Washington.

“This review highlights the key role that psychologists have had — and continue to have — in the understanding and effective treatment of chronic pain.”

The researchers identified successful treatment approaches for chronic pain, including cognitive – behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, and hypnosis. They also examined how neurophysiology can help tailor treatments for specific cases and how interdisciplinary chronic pain management is most likely to lead to effective outcomes when health care teams include psychologists and coordinate services.

“The more we learn, the more the field of chronic pain treatment recognizes the critical contribution of psychologists,” Jensen notes.

“This may be due to the fact that psychologists’ expertise about the brain, behaviour, and their interaction is at the heart of both the problem of and the solution to chronic pain.”

“In addition to providing behavioural assessments and treatment that give people skills to manage chronic conditions, psychologists can conduct assessments that differentiate normal processes from illness and address medication side effects, adjustment reactions, or combinations of these.”

The review was published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Source of this article:

Therapy Often More Important Than Meds for Chronic Pain