Psychological treatment for chronic pain: A selective review

Abstract

The status of biofeedback and biofeedback assisted relaxation, operant conditioning, and cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic pain management is discussed. Successful treatment outcomes have been reported for each approach. Unfortunately, various weaknesses in the designs of the studies reporting positive outcome, such as the absence of control groups, inadequate patient sample descriptions, and few long term follow-ups do not allow unqualified acceptance of the efficacy of these approaches. Evaluations of the current status of each approach and suggestions for future research are presented. The need to develop a prescriptive approach for assessment and treatment is stressed.