Psychological management of pain

Abstract

Pain is a multifaceted experience, including both sensory and emotional components. For many with persistent pain, a solely biomedical approach to treatment is insufficient, for it fails to address the psychosocial factors that drive pain and disability. It is often necessary to include a biopsychosocial approach that may include exercise/physical reconditioning, education (of the patient and family members), and psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-/acceptance-based therapies, behavior modification, and biofeedback training. Treatment of comorbid psychiatric illness is also essential to appropriately manage the patient with pain. Some patients require a more intensive, comprehensive interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program (IPRP). These programs have been shown to be cost-effective and efficacious; however, their availability is extremely limited.