| Article
Fresh affirmation of the value of mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) in the management of chronic pain has been provided by a new meta-analysis of data from 21 studies spanning almost 2,000 patients with pain. The research compared the effectiveness of mindfulness to cognitive behavioral...
| Podcast
Many frontline practitioners often describe feeling like they are “held hostage” by their chronic pain patients. A lot can be learned from reviewing hostage negotiation techniques used in real-life crisis situations. These negotiation strategies typically yield a 95% success rate, which is a...
| Article
A research team from the US and the Netherlands have undertaken a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy based approaches to chronic pain in older adults. The research concludes that these psychological interventions have a small but...
| Article
Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) have been proven to be effective alternate treatment modalities for patients with chronic pain, but shortcomings in existing programs may be limiting their efficacy in the patient populations most in need. In an address last week to the American Pain Society...
| Article
In terms of biopsychosocial treatment, providers must know that it’s critically important to look at all the factors that are affecting a patient’s pain condition. Any time we pigeonhole ourselves in any one category--whether it’s the medical piece, the psychological piece, or the physical piece--we...
| Article
An article published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice summarizes recent evidence supporting the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as an opioid sparing alternative for treatment of chronic noncancer pain. Authors Muhammad Hassan Majeed, MD, with...
| Video
Ravi Prasad, a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University, discusses the multifactorial dynamic of treatment and psychology as it applies to pain.
| Video
Virtual reality (VR) has been in the treatment armamentarium for some decades, but the technology has been cost-prohibitive for many practitioners. Dr. Jones outlines some recent advances that are changing the cost/benefit landscape, and discusses recent clinical evidence for VR in pain management...
| Video
Successful treatment of chronic pain means going beyond the pharmacologic options to embrace self-care, psychological and psychosocial factors, functional restoration, and alternative medicine. Dr. Pohl provides an exploration, and outlines some ideas for primary practitioners to engage.
| Video
The recently released CDC prescribing guidelines and recommendations from the National Pain Strategy refer to pain psychology as on the critical path to the management of pain. Drs. Mackey and Darnall discuss this role and what needs to be done to bring this treatment modality within the reach of...