Mind-Body Interventions for Rehabilitation Medicine: Promoting Wellness, Healing, and Coping with Adversity.

Physical medicine providers work to cure organic aspects of disease while simultaneously enhancing quality of life and well-being. Mind-body interventions are evidence-based, cost-effective approaches to serve these aims. This article enhances provider knowledge and acceptance of the most effective and prevalent mind-body modalities: meditation, guided imagery, clinical hypnosis, and biofeedback. The scientific evidence is strongest for mind-body applications for chronic pain, primary headache, cardiac rehabilitation, and cancer rehabilitation, with preliminary evidence for traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular events. Mind-body interventions are well-tolerated by patients and should be considered part of standard care in physical medicine and rehabilitation settings.

A Mixed Methods Exploration of Electrical Stimulation in Veterans with Fibromyalgia Symptoms & Affective Disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Past research has shown that electrical stimulation has modest beneficial effects on symptoms of fibromyalgia, which is also commonly associated with anxiety and depression. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and utilization of electrical stimulation (AID or M units) at-home by Veterans. METHODS: Sixty Veterans were identified using the Fibromyalgia Symptoms Questionnaire for an electrical stimulation trial during January 1-December 31, 2016 at a Midwestern VA Medical Center. Each patient completed a brief, semi-structured phone interview, which included an inquiry about the benefits of the units on affective symptoms. RESULTS: Quantitative findings suggest that participants who were given any kind of unit (AID or M units) did not have a significant change in pain level from baseline to follow-up. Participants who were given any kind of unit (AID or M units) did not report a significant change in anxiety, depressive, or insomnia symptoms from baseline to follow-up. Qualitative findings produced three thematic maps: utilization, effectiveness, and satisfaction. LIMITATIONS: This study used a quasi-experimental, one group, pre-/post-test design, and explored the benefits of programming when based on patient self-selection. The instruments used in this study were self-report measures, and the lack of change may have been due to the use of binary versus continuous measures. The findings may differ among other Veterans as the current sample had a larger representation of minority groups compared to the typical Veteran profile. CONCLUSIONS: This information is invaluable in helping patients who suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms and affective disorders and for the providers aiding in their treatment.

Impact of PTSD on post-concussive symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and pain in post-9/11 veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.

Prior work suggested that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) worsens post-concussive symptoms (PCS), neuropsychological functioning, and pain-related outcomes in post-9/11 veterans. However, the impact of PTSD in the context of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is not entirely clear. We evaluated possible differences among veterans with deployment-related mTBI with and without PTSD, and a comparison group. We hypothesized that veterans with comorbid mTBI and PTSD would report more PCS, perform worse on neuropsychological tasks, and report greater pain intensity and maladaptive pain coping relative to those without PTSD. Ninety (15 female, 75 male) post-9/11 veterans completed measures of psychiatric functioning, PCS, deployment-related mTBI, pain intensity, pain coping, and a brief neuropsychological evaluation. Veterans with comorbid mTBI and PTSD reported significantly higher PCS across domains, and greater pain intensity and maladaptive coping. They also performed more poorly on measures of recall, but not on measures of attention, encoding, or executive functioning. Findings suggest that PTSD results in greater PCS in the context of mTBI, and is associated with greater pain catastrophizing, worse recall, greater pain intensity, and greater illness-focused coping than in mTBI alone. PCS symptoms, recall, and pain coping may be of clinical importance for post-9/11 veterans with the "polytrauma triad."

Role of Active Versus Passive Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches in Pain Management.

BACKGROUND: A general conclusion about the treatment of chronic, noncancer pain is that the results from traditional, passive modalities are disheartening. Perhaps this may be due to the propensity of patients to seek out passive versus active treatments. In pain management, active treatments should be the primary focus, with passive interventions as an adjunct. OBJECTIVE: The current study tested the hypotheses that Veterans would report a greater significant increase in active versus transitional and active versus passive complementary and integrative health (CIH) utilization after completing a formal pain education program. METHODS: The current study is a secondary analysis of existing data from an original study. The current study used a quasi-experimental, 1-group, pre-/posttest design. One hundred three Veterans completed a 12-week, "Pain Education School" program at a Midwestern VA Medical Center between November 4, 2011, and October 26, 2012. As part of the introduction and conclusion of the program, all Veterans completed a pre- and posteducation assessment which included an adaptation of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire©, SECTION A: Use of Alternative Health Care Providers measure. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the pre- and posttest measures of use of active (P = .000) (p<.001), transitional (P = .011), and passive (P = .007) CIH modalities. CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that an educational intervention in conjunction with the availability of treatment options has the potential to increase the use of those treatments. The current pain education program also seems to be aligned with the goal of pain self-management, which is to utilize more active interventions as a primary therapy.

The Use of Mind-body Medicine in Chronic Pain Management: Differential Trends and Session-by-Session Changes in Anxiety.

The evidence to date suggests that the use of mind-body medicine in chronic pain management can improve physical and psychological symptoms. However, past research evidence has largely relied on global measures of distress at pre- and post-intervention. Even though it is plausible that reported anxiety occurs in the context of pain, there is also evidence to suggest a reciprocal relationship. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to determine the differential impact that mind-body medical interventions have on anxiety among Veterans with chronic, non-cancer pain. The current study utilized multiple, repeated assessments of anxiety to better understand changes made over time between two mind-body interventions (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)) used for chronic pain management. Ninety-six Veterans elected to participate in either intervention following the completion of a pain health education program at a Midwestern VA Medical Center between November 3, 2009-November 4, 2010. A 2 × 7 repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance indicated significantly lower levels of global distress by the end of both the ACT and CBT interventions. Trend analysis revealed differential patterns of change in levels of anxiety over time. Helmert contrast analyses found several modules of ACT were statistically different than the overall mean of previous sessions. Implications related to timing and patterns of change for the interventions are discussed.

Implementing an acceptance and commitment therapy group protocol with veterans using VA's stepped care model of pain management.

The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend previous findings; further demonstrating the effectiveness of an ACT outpatient, group-based treatment for Veterans who suffer from mixed idiopathic, chronic, non-cancer pain. This course of treatment utilized the VA's Stepped Care Model of Pain Management as a framework. A sample of 50 Veterans who participated in an ACT for chronic pain group intervention was evaluated after completing a pain health education program at a Midwestern VA Medical Center between February 16, 2010 and November 9, 2010. All participants completed a standard set of pre- and post-intervention measures. Paired-samples t tests were conducted to evaluate the impact of the manualized intervention on Veterans' scores. The current study found a significant difference in measures of pain interference, illness-focused coping, and global distress upon completion of the intervention. Findings suggest that ACT is an effective treatment for Veterans with chronic pain as a secondary consultative service.

Effects of a pain education program in Complementary and Alternative Medicine treatment utilization at a VA medical center.

BACKGROUND: Past studies have shown that U.S. Veterans are consumers of CAM. However, more than 75% of Veteran non-users report they would utilize these treatment options if made available. Thus, Veterans may not be fully aware of the CAM options currently available to them in the current U.S. VA health care system. OBJECTIVES: The current study tested the hypothesis that Veterans would report an increase in CAM utilization after completing a formal pain education program in a VA medical center. DESIGN: The study used a quasi-experimental, one-group, pre/post-test design. SETTING: Midwestern, U.S. VA Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: The responses from 103 Veterans who elected to participate in the program and the assessment measures were included in the outcome analyses. INTERVENTION: "Pain Education School" is a 12-week, educational program that is open to all Veterans and their families. It is a comprehensive program that introduces patients to 23 different disciplines at the VA Medical Center that deal with chronic, non-cancer pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: An adaptation of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire(©), SECTION A: Use of Alternative Health Care Providers. RESULTS: There was a significant difference found in overall utilization of CAM after completing the pain education program. The most utilized CAM modality was the chiropractor; the least utilized were hypnosis and aromatherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Not all health care systems or providers may have access to an education-focused, professionally driven program as an amenity. However, lessons can be learned from this study in terms of what pain providers may be able to accomplish in their practice.

Using Audience Response Systems to Enhance Chronic, Noncancer Pain Knowledge Acquisition Among Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Educating patients on factual information related to chronic pain and self-management improves knowledge, pain outcomes, and compliance. The current study assesses changes in pain knowledge among veterans who attended a 12-week "Pain Education School" and examines whether or not the addition of an active learning component (i.e., use of an audience response system [ARS]) leads to greater increases in pain knowledge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 102 veterans 24-84 years of age who elected to participate in the 12-week pain education program was evaluated. Only a subgroup of veterans (n=69) had access to the ARS. RESULTS: A 2×2 repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance was conducted to examine changes in pain knowledge, pain beliefs, stage of readiness to adopt a self-management approach, and depressive symptoms over time and to explore the impact of ARS use on pain knowledge acquisition. Participants reported a statistically significant difference between their pre- and posttest measures of pain beliefs (p=0.04), stage of readiness to adopt a self-management approach (p=0.00), and depressive symptoms (p=0.00). Veterans who used the ARS demonstrated significantly greater increases in pain knowledge acquisition after completing the pain education program than those who did not (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide support for the incorporation of ARS in pain education programming to facilitate active learning and to increase knowledge acquisition. Findings also provide evidence for the effectiveness of pain education programs in improving veterans' attitudes about their pain, increasing readiness to engage in self-management, and decreasing depressive symptoms.

Replication of a cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain group protocol by therapists in training.

According to the American Psychological Association (Division 12), there is strong, long-standing research support for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat chronic pain. Furthermore, meta-analytic comparisons have shown CBT to be highly efficacious. However, not all researchers agree with this conclusion. The purpose of the current pilot study was to determine whether a CBT outpatient, group-based treatment facilitated by junior therapists benefited veterans who suffer from mixed idiopathic, chronic, noncancer pain, thus replicating results from effective CBT programs from the past. A sample of 46 veterans aged 33 to 81 years with chronic, noncancer pain who participated in an outpatient CBT pain group therapy protocol at a Midwestern Veterans Affairs Medical Center between November 3, 2009, and September 2, 2010 was evaluated. All participants completed a pre- and postintervention assessment. Paired-samples t tests were conducted to evaluate the impact of the program on veterans' scores on assessment measures. No significant difference was found between the pre- and posttest primary outcome measures of pain intensity. A significant difference was established between the pre- and posttest secondary outcome measure of catastrophizing. However, there were no other significant differences found among the remaining pre- and posttest secondary outcome measures of pain interference, disability, and psychological distress. Training junior therapists on how to use CBT protocols may be enhanced by paying greater attention to what mechanisms are responsible for the desired outcomes among veterans with chronic pain.

Mixed-method approach to veteran satisfaction with pain education.

Patient education is a central component in high-quality integrated care of patients with chronic pain. The current study assessed patients' satisfaction with a 12 wk "Pain Education School" program within the initial 2 yr phase of implementation. A mixed-method treatment outcome design was used. A sample of 219 veterans between November 6, 2009, and January 20, 2012, was evaluated. Quantitative findings suggest that patients reported learning "new and useful" information (mean = 4.62 +/- 0.82), perceived the program as "easy to understand" (4.62 +/- 0.70), used the learned information (4.58 +/- 0.77), and recommended the program to others (4.71 +/- 0.74). Four thematic maps emerged from the qualitative data. Response percentages were calculated in order to illustrate the relative magnitude of emerging themes and subthemes corresponding to participant extracts.

How to set boundaries with chronic pain patients.

While a collaborative relationship is optimal for pain management, there may be times when saying No is the best treatment. This review--and easy-to-use "decision tree"--can help with both.

Effects of a pain education program for veterans with chronic, noncancer pain: a pilot study.

This pilot study examines the effects of a "Pain Education School" developed and implemented in a American Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center using the National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention's step-by-step guidelines in veterans with chronic or persistent, noncancer pain. This study used a quasi-experimental, one-group, pre-/posttest design. A sample of 88 veterans aged 39 to 84 years old who elected to participate in the 12-week pain education program was evaluated. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted using an efficacy subset analysis strategy. Veterans who elected to complete the program reported a statistically significant difference in their pre- and posttest measures of pain intensity (p = .028), stages of readiness to adopt a self-management approach (p = .002), experience of pain (p = .000), and depressive symptoms (p = .000). However, there was not a statistically significant difference found in pain knowledge (p = .790). The current findings provide preliminary evidence that the program may be efficacious, but a randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm these effects. This manuscript encourages other VAs to transfer this low-intensity approach as a means of creating awareness, and may be utilized as a benchmark of pain education programming.

The effect of telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy on quality of life among patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Past research has found that a variety of physical, psychological, and social factors can affect quality of life (QOL). These previous findings suggest that interventions that address these factors could potentially improve QOL. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can improve QOL, and if so, explore which factors might mediate this effect. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. One hundred twenty-seven participants with multiple sclerosis and depression were randomly assigned to either a telephone-administered CBT (T-CBT) or telephone-administered supportive emotion-focused therapy (T-SEFT) intervention. RESULTS: Patients assigned to T-CBT showed significantly greater improvements in QOL compared with those assigned to T-SEFT. The greater improvement in QOL among T-CBT recipients was mediated by improvements in depression and positive affect. There was also inconsistent support for the superior effect of CBT on QOL being mediated by improvement in fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: T-CBT provided greater QOL benefits compared with T-SEFT, which controlled for non-specific treatment components. This study further suggests that T-CBT procedures specific to the management of depression and positive affect were uniquely useful in improving QOL.

Telephone-administered motivational interviewing to reduce risky sexual behavior in HIV-infected rural persons: a pilot randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have characterized patterns and predictors of continued risky sexual behavior in HIV-infected rural persons, far less research has evaluated interventions to reduce risky sex in this group. This pilot randomized clinical trial compared 2 brief telephone-administered interventions designed to reduce continued risky sexual behaviors in HIV-infected rural persons. METHODS: Participants were 79 HIV-infected rural persons who reported 1 or more occasions of unprotected anal, vaginal, or oral sex in the past 2 months. Participants were recruited through AIDS service organizations in rural areas of 27 states and assigned randomly to either a 2-session, motivational interviewing plus skills-building intervention (i.e., integrated intervention; n = 48) or a 2-session, skills-building only comparison intervention (n = 31). Participants completed self-report measures of sexual behaviors and factors related to risky sex at preintervention and 2-month follow-up. RESULTS: Before enrolling into the intervention, 37% of participants had 2 or more sexual partners in the past 2 months, 29% had sex with 1 or more partners without knowing their partners' HIV serostatus, and almost one-third of participants located sex partners in high-risk environments (e.g., public parks, roadside rest areas). A 2 x 2 repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance found that integrated intervention participants reported greater increases in risk-reduction motivation and greater increases in condom-protected vaginal and oral intercourse occasions at follow-up compared to skills-building only participants. CONCLUSIONS: Brief telephone-administered interventions that integrate motivational interviewing with skills-building show potential to reduce risky sexual behaviors in HIV-infected rural persons. Additional and large-scale evaluations of this intervention approach appear warranted.