The Role of Nonpharmacological Approaches to Pain Management

Background: Pain is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Given the complexity and biobehavioral nature of pain, the 2011 Institute of Medicine report on Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research advocated for multifaceted approaches for pain management comprised of both pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's report Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use reviewed the status of available evidence on nonpharmacological therapies for managing chronic pain. For example, CBT, a type of psychotherapy focused on restructuring negative thoughts and experiences with positive expectations, has been shown to be effective in reducing pain intensity and other psychological effects caused by pain (e.g., anxiety and depression) for low back pain, headaches, arthritis, orofacial pain, and fibromyalgia.