Chronic Pain Management: Study finds improving patient's ability to manage emotions could lower chronic pain, ET HealthWorld
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New Delhi: Improving one's ability to manage emotions has shown to be effective in dealing with chronic pain, according to a new study.Chronic pain, or the persistence of pain beyond the healing period of three months following physical injury, is estimated to affect about a third of the world's population.Researchers, led by those from the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia , trialled a behaviour therapy. It aimed at improving participants' ability to process emotions by de-escalating negative ones and enhancing positive feelings.For the trial, eight online sessions of group therapy were conducted among 90 people experiencing chronic pain conditions, including lower back pain and fibromyalgia. The participants also used an app and handbook for self-learning.Results of the trial, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, show that over a period of six months, those receiving the behaviour therapy reported a better emotion regulation and reduced pain.The authors also found a "sustained improvement in depression symptoms and a clinically significant reduction in pain intensity"."By changing how we manage emotions, it is possible to change the experience of pain itself. This is not just a temporary relief but a potential long-term improvement in quality of life for those affected by chronic pain," author Sylvia Gustin, a psychologist and director of the NeuroRecovery Research Hub at the University of New South Wales, said.The results could lead to new ways of treating chronic pain, emphasising the profound impact of emotional health on physical wellbeing, the authors said.A higher level of negative emotions, such as anger or worry, along with a lower capacity to manage them, have been shown to contribute towards the development of chronic pain.A study published in March in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open found that about 40 per cent of adults with chronic pain could be suffering from anxiety or depression."A key factor in disease progression is the inability to regulate negative emotions. This is disrupted by the impact of persistent pain on the brain's emotional circuitry. The resulting emotion dysregulation is an ill-understood and undertreated aspect of chronic pain, which we addressed in this trial," Gustin explained.Cases of low back pain -- a common chronic condition -- are projected at 843 million in 2050. It was estimated to affect 619 million in 2020, according to a study published in The Lancet Rheumatology journal in 2023.
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