JANUARY 17, 2025
Mind–body interventions that aim to prevent pain catastrophizing can help reduce pain scores at the time of therapy, and this impact may persist beyond the conclusion of treatment, according to data published in The Journal of Pain[KJ1] . (J Pain. 2024 Nov 17;26:104737).
“We found that improvements in catastrophizing during a brief, four-week intervention were related to improvements in pain intensity at three-month follow-up,” explained lead study author
Mind–body interventions that aim to prevent pain catastrophizing can help reduce pain scores at the time of therapy, and this impact may persist beyond the conclusion of treatment, according to data published in The Journal of Pain[KJ1] . (J Pain. 2024 Nov 17;26:104737).
“We found that improvements in catastrophizing during a brief, four-week intervention were related to improvements in pain intensity at three-month follow-up,” explained lead study author Madelyn Frumkin, PhD, an assistant professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Lebanon[ N.H.
The study included 76 adult patients who experienced an acute traumatic orthopedic injury. Within one to two months after injury, participants enrolled in the Toolkit for Optimal Recovery (TOR) program, a live video mind–body intervention that aims to prevent persistent pain among individuals who report negative, catastrophic thoughts about pain after an acute traumatic orthopedic injury.
Mean pain with activity scores fell from a baseline of 5.46 (on a 0-10 scale) through all four TOR sessions. This improvement was maintained at the three-month follow-up where the mean pain with activity score was 3.23. Pain catastrophizing was measured using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), a 13-item measure that uses a 5-point Likert scale to assess patients’ responses; higher scores indicate greater pain catastrophizing (range, 0-52). PCS scores significantly improved from baseline (22.61) through all four TOR sessions. This improvement was carried over into the three-month follow-up where the mean catastrophizing score was 8.04.
There was a significant association between reductions in catastrophizing pain and pain with activity scores at three-month follow-up after TOR (beta=0.421; standard error=0.099; P<0.001).
“Catastrophizing is known to be an important target for treating chronic pain. Our findings suggest that addressing catastrophic thinking is also important in preventing chronic pain after injury,” Frumkin explained.
However, she acknowledged that further research with larger sample sizes, more frequent assessment and comparable control group data is necessary to facilitate greater understanding of psychosocial mechanisms for preventing chronic pain after injury.
—Myles Starr
Frumkin reported that she received consulting fees from Blueprint Health.
