The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Management of Chronic Pain: A Biopsychosocial Approach

Abstract

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews (JPCRR) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal whose mission is to communicate clinical and bench research findings, with the goal of improving the quality of human health, the care of the individual patient, and the care of populations. Recommended Citation Burns J, Mullen TA. The role of traditional Chinese medicine in the management of chronic pain: a biopsychosocial approach. 1 According to this report, chronic pain is the leading reason patients seek medical care with an estimated $635 billion per year spent nationally. 1 The cost of care for chronic pain exceeds that of cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined, largely because " the costs of unrelieved pain can result in longer hospital stays, increased rates of rehospitalization, increased outpatient visits, and decreased ability to function fully leading to lost income and insurance coverage. " 2 Excessive costs aside, chronic pain exacts a more personal cost on the pain sufferer, that of risk of abuse, misuse and overdose of narcotic medications, a problem that has dramatically increased over the last several years. 3 Despite use of narcotics as a mainstay of management of chronic pain in this country, it is well-documented that an " estimated 40% of patients with chronic pain do not achieve adequate pain relief. " 2 Similarly, invasive procedures such as spinal epidural steroid injections and implantable time-release narcotic delivery devices not only haven't delivered consistent benefit to patients but also come at potentially significant risk to the patient. 2,3 Definition of Pain: Acute vs. Chronic The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as an " unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. " 2 Pain can be further categorized as acute or chronic. Acute Pain: Acute pain is a normal physiologic response, usually time-limited, to a noxious stimulus that enhances survival by warning the individual of impending or potential injury or progression of disease. If the noxious stimulus persists, changes in the peripheral tissues and both the central and peripheral nervous systems can lead to sensitization that worsens and prolongs the pain. Appropriate management of acute pain may prevent the onset of the pathophysiologic processes that change the spinal cord and brain and lead to chronic pain. Chronic Pain: Chronic pain continues beyond the normal time expected for healing and is associated with the onset of pathophysiologic changes in the central nervous system that may adversely affect an individual's