Psychological Treatments Improve Back Pain

Ivanhoe Newswire
Friday, December 22, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Psychological treatments for back pain patients may do more than help them feel better mentally. They may reduce their actual pain levels.

Researchers from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System looked at data from 22 studies published between 1982 and 2003. Participants had low back pain for at least three months -- most much longer. The average duration was seven and a half years.

The report finds psychological interventions alone or combined with other care were better than standard treatments for pain-related outcomes. The biggest and most consistent effect was in reducing the intensity of pain. Approaches included behavioral and cognitive-behavioral techniques; self-regulatory techniques such as hypnosis, biofeedback, and relaxation and counseling.

Researchers were surprised because the interventions were originally developed to help patients live with their pain more successfully, not to actually reduce pain.

The study also found the psychological interventions helped improve health-related quality of life, work-related disability, and depression.

Dennis Turk, Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology and pain research at the University of Washington in Seattle reports chronic pain patients don't always see the value of psychological treatments because they have been set up to expect a cure.

"Even the latest and greatest treatments don't cure people with chronic pain," reports Dr. Turk. "Psychological interventions are not cures, but they do reduce pain and improve function and they are important components in the treatment of people with chronic pain."

Dr. Turk adds even though there is data on the effectiveness of psychological interventions, insurance companies are less willing to pay for them.

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SOURCE: Health Psychology, 2007;26