Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Use of Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment Modalities Among Veterans with Chronic Pain: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey.

Edmond SN, Becker WC, Driscoll MA, Decker SE, Higgins DM, Mattocks KM, Kerns RD, Haskell SG. Use of Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment Modalities Among Veterans with Chronic Pain: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey. Journal of general internal medicine. 2018 May 1; 33(Suppl 1):54-60.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Despite strong evidence for the effectiveness of non-pharmacological pain treatment modalities (NPMs), little is known about the prevalence or correlates of NPM use. OBJECTIVE: This study examined rates and correlates of NPM use in a sample of veterans who served during recent conflicts. DESIGN: We examined rates and demographic and clinical correlates of self-reported NPM use (operationalized as psychological/behavioral therapies, exercise/movement therapies, and manual therapies). We calculated descriptive statistics and examined bivariate associations and multivariable associations using logistic regression. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 460 veterans endorsing pain lasting = 3 months who completed the baseline survey of the Women Veterans Cohort Study (response rate 7.7%. MAIN MEASURES: Outcome was self-reported use of NPMs in the past 12 months. KEY RESULTS: Veterans were 33.76 years old (SD? = 10.72), 56.3% female, and 80.2% White. Regarding NPM use, 22.6% reported using psychological/behavioral, 50.9% used exercise/movement and 51.7% used manual therapies. Veterans with a college degree (vs. no degree; OR? = 2.51, 95% CI? = 1.46, 4.30, p? = 0.001) or those with worse mental health symptoms (OR? = 2.88, 95% CI? = 2.11, 3.93, p? < 0.001) were more likely to use psychological/behavioral therapies. Veterans who were female (OR? = 0.63, 95% CI? = 0.43, 0.93, p? = 0.02) or who used non-opioid pain medications (OR? = 1.82, 95% CI? = 1.146, 2.84, p? = 0.009) were more likely to use exercise/movement therapies. Veterans who were non-White (OR? = 0.57, 95% CI? = 0.5, 0.94, p? = 0.03), with greater educational attainment (OR? = 2.11, 95% CI? = 1.42, 3.15, p? < 0.001), or who used non-opioid pain medication (OR? = 1.71, 95% CI? = 1.09, 2.68, p? = 0.02) were more likely to use manual therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Results identified demographic and clinical characteristics among different NPMs, which may indicate differences in veteran treatment preferences or provider referral patterns. Further study of provider referral patterns and veteran treatment preferences is needed to inform interventions to increase NPM utilization. Research is also need to identify demographic and clinical correlates of clinical outcomes related to NPM use.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.