A Systematic Review of Biological Mechanisms and Chronic Pain Outcomes During Stress Reduction Interventions.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to identify biological mechanisms or biomarkers measured in nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions for chronic pain and evaluate whether these interventions led to changes in pain outcomes or biomarkers.
Results Summary
The review found that mindfulness-based stress reduction was among the interventions studied, but only three of the 13 included studies demonstrated an association between biomarkers and pain-related outcomes, highlighting the complexity of stress-pain relationships.
Population
Individuals with chronic pain conditions.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions | neutral | symptom management | patients living with chronic pain | - | remain a favorable method for symptom management | #1 |
nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions | neutral | pain outcomes | individuals with chronic pain | - | lead to changes in | #2 |
nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions | neutral | measured biomarkers | individuals with chronic pain | - | lead to changes in | #3 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction | neutral | biological measures | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #4 |
mindfulness-based stress reduction | neutral | pain outcomes | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #5 |
physical exercise | neutral | biological measures | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #6 |
physical exercise | neutral | pain outcomes | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #7 |
manual therapies | neutral | biological measures | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #8 |
manual therapies | neutral | pain outcomes | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #9 |
biofeedback | neutral | biological measures | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #10 |
biofeedback | neutral | pain outcomes | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | investigated | #11 |
stress reduction interventions | neutral | biomarker(s) | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | demonstrated an association between | #12 |
stress reduction interventions | neutral | pain-related outcomes | subjects with a chronic pain condition | - | demonstrated an association between | #13 |
BACKGROUND: Nonpharmacologic stress reduction interventions provide an opportunity to modify chronic pain trajectories; however, the biological mechanisms underlying these interventions are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To examine clinical literature published in 2012-2018 with the goals of (1) identifying which biological mechanisms or biomarkers are currently being measured in nonpharmacologic stress reduction intervention studies for individuals with chronic pain and (2) evaluating the evidence to determine whether these stress reduction interventions lead to changes in (a) pain outcomes and/or (b) measured biomarkers. DATA SOURCES: Scientific articles in the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychINFO, and SCOPUS following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that recruited subjects with a chronic pain condition, examined a relationship between a nonpharmacologic stress reduction intervention and pain-related outcome(s), and included measurement of a biomarker. RESULTS: The 13 articles that met inclusion criteria spanned four nonpharmacologic stress reduction categories: mindfulness-based stress reduction, physical exercise, manual therapies, and biofeedback. Methods for studying biomarkers included measuring biological samples, neurological function, and autonomic control. Although all studies investigated both biological measures and pain outcomes, only three demonstrated an association between the biomarker(s) and pain-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review highlight the complex nature of stress-pain relationships and the lack of rigorous clinical research identifying specific stress-related biological factors that modulate pain outcomes. Stress reduction interventions remain a favorable method for symptom management in patients living with chronic pain, but consistency in study measures and design is needed for robust evaluation.