A new study published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine suggests that a “new, mostly digital program supported by trained medical assistants may help reduce how much pain interferes with day-to-day life for people with chronic pain.”
The study tested a program called “Promoting Resilience with Innovative Self-Management, which combines traditional cognitive behavioral therapy skills for pain with additional activities intended to promote resilience and positive emotion.” Participants were randomized into groups that included this program with CBT, standard CBT for pain, or usual care.
Researchers noted a “significant long-term improvement in symptom impact (a global measure of fibromyalgia-related health and function) versus usual care a year later.” Patients in the group also showed “superior improvements in pain interference – or how pain hinders someone’s daily activities – throughout the duration of the study.”
Patients across the three groups received “usual care through a specialty pain clinic setting, including physician visits, medications, injections, and physical therapy.” The new program “builds on established CBT skills with resilience-building exercises focused on gratitude, acts of kindness, and savoring.” Patients and clinicians can “explore resources used in this study” through a link in the story above.
