Chronic Pain

Any pain that is experienced for more than 3 months is referred to as chronic pain. Chronic pain can either be continuous or episodic depending on the individual’s experience. According to the American Pain Society (2015) “nearly 50 million American adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain. Prevalence rate for females is 34.3% and for men it is 26.7%”. Each individual experiences chronic pain differently such as type, timing and location of pain. Pain may be described as dull, sharp, burning, stiffness. National Institutes of Health (2011) states “Chronic pain may arise from an initial injury, such as a back sprain, or there may be an ongoing cause, such as illness. However, there may also be no clear cause”. Medical treatment
for chronic pain can vary depending on type and location of the pain. Some common treatments include medications, electrical stimulation, physical therapy, nerve block and surgery. According to the American Psychological Association (2006) “Effective pain management now comes from multidisciplinary care teams that look at the whole "person with pain" rather than the pain itself”. Psychological interventions include but are not limited to cognitive-behavioral therapy, self-regulatory treatments, and relaxation training. There are many techniques under the category of relaxation training such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and mindfulness meditation. All these help patients be able to change the physical and psychological effects of chronic pain. The first study that I looked at was a study that measured the effectiveness of guided imagery to help control chronic pain.
According to Chen (2010) guided imagery is defined as “a relaxation technique in which words, sounds, etc., are used to evoke positive mental images, feelings, and thoughts” (Pg. 159). The 19 participants were involved in a 7 week program that contained one week of baseline and the other 6 weeks had guided imagery. The participants were trained on how to successfully use guided imagery and were instructed to once to two daily. Chen (2010) stated “an audio recording was provided to participants for home practice to ensure success” (Pg. 162). The study found that participants who adhered to their home practice experienced significant decrease in physical pain. Another relaxation technique known as progressive muscle relaxation was used in the second
study. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is another relaxation technique that is used as a psychological intervention for chronic pain. According to Lauche (2013) “Progressive Muscle Relaxation teaches you how to relax your muscles through a twostep process. First, you systematically tense particular muscle groups in your body, such as your neck and shoulders. Next, you release the tension and notice how your muscles feel when you relax them.” (Pg. 2). The group of 61 participants were divided into two groups, one that would receive progressive muscle relaxation and another that would use cupping massage. The group that was in the progressive muscle relaxation was instructed to use this intervention were instructed to practice relaxation twice a week for 12 weeks and then record in a diary daily. Lauche (2013) found “After treatment, both groups showed significantly less pain compared to baseline however without significant group differences” (pg. 8). The progressive muscle relaxation group showed significant decrease in both physical and psychological effects of chronic pain. The third study examined how mindfulness meditation can reduce stress and physical effects of chronic pain.
The study was performed at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, it was a longitudinal study that followed 133 participants for 7 years. According to Rosenzweig’s study, “participants were instructed to practice 20-25 minutes of formal meditation daily. They were to follow this for 6 days per week. This formal mindfulness practice was on addition to the informal practice of being mindful in everyday activities. Weekly classes’ time also lasted 2.5 hours and was divided between meditation practices and small and large group discussions, and mindfulness skill-building activities. Additional the course included 1 full day (7 hours) of practice on the weekend of the 6th week. Written material and audio CDs were given to participants to help with home practice” (Pg. 32). The study found that after the 7 years, participants experienced minimal to no
pain. In conclusion the psychological interventions used for chronic pain are shown to decrease the overall pain experienced. All three methods of relaxation techniques had positive impacts on the participants’ life, they decreased both physical and psychological effects of chronic pain. Medical intervention for chronic pain is sometimes hard to use because everyone experiences the pain differently, being able to use psychological intervention will allow people to experience pain relief. Health psychologist play a role in this intervention because they will be able to get patients to adhere to their relaxation techniques which in return will increase their overall health.