Nonpharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Pain—A Critical Domains Approach

The pain is described as deep, aching, and throbbing but does not radiate to her legs. It is made worse by sitting still for longer than an hour and gets better if she keeps moving and gets a good night of sleep. Her sleep is generally disturbed as she has trouble falling asleep and when she does sleep, she usually wakes up feeling unrefreshed and extremely irritable. Moreover, while she knows that activity makes her pain better, Lisa can rarely find the energy or motivation to exercise.

Various evaluations by specialists have been obtained and studies conducted, including a recent MRI. All were found to be negative for a clear-cut pathology. A visit to a rheumatologist 5 years ago resulted in a diagnosis of fibromyalgia that Lisa does not accept. Upon probing, she detailed what turns out to be an almost 20-year history of chronic pain. The back pain is only the latest diagnosis in an extensive list of painful conditions including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), headache, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and fibromyalgia. There are no aspects of her history or presentation that suggest a diagnosis other than chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Lisa is a divorced mother of 2 adolescent children who are generally well-adjusted if not age-appropriately defiant. She is overweight (body mass index = 29) and admits to overeating when under stress. She says that the back pain has disrupted every aspect of her life and work is the only thing that gets adequate attention. Her salary is critical to her family’s financial stability, thus it is a priority. Lisa noted that she saves all of her energy for her job and has “nothing left in the tank” for her children or herself. She notes that, “I have zero joy in my life—I rarely go anywhere fun with my kids anymore, putter in my garden, and forget about going on dates. I can’t remember the last enjoyable thing I did!”

• What are aspects to consider in addressing this patient’s symptoms?

Lisa’s case is likely recognizable—she presents with a long history of pain in multiple areas of her body (eg, low back pain, PMS, headache, TMJ) without clear-cut pathology. She has multiple physical and social problems and limited resources. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is likely correct. The low back pain is probably another manifestation of a broader “centralized pain” condition [5,6]. The term centralized pain refers to the amplification of pain via changes in the central nervous system [7,8]. This does not mean that peripheral nociceptive input (ie, tissue damage or inflammation) plays no role in the pain; however, it implies that any painful stimulus is experienced with greater intensity than would be expected [5,6]. Further, psychological, behavioral, and social elements tend to be key factors in centralized pain states due in part to the exhausting challenge of living with chronic pain, as well as genetic factors that predispose to both pain and mood disturbances [9].

Due to the often complex nature of chronic pain, successful treatment usually requires addressing multiple areas of concern, including addressing behavioral, cognitive, and affective processes. It is suggested that a plan for nonpharmacologic pain management could be built around 6 domains represented by the acronym ExPRESS [10], namely Exercise, Psychological distress, Regaining function, Emotional well-being, Sleep hygiene, and Stress management. This article provides a review of the literature that focuses on systematic reviews and meta-analyses to summarize a massive literature largely supporting the use of nonpharmacologic strategies such as exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based treatments, behavioral self-management, resilience-based interventions, and education to address the ExPRESS [10] domains using Lisa’s case as an example.