Background & Aims

The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada reportedly ranges from 18 to 25 percent, peaking between the ages of 45 and 65. A novel treatment, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), uses a system of psychological techniques to retrain the brain to respond to bodily signals to break the cycle of chronic pain. PRT aims to reduce/eliminate pain by helping patients reattribute causes of pain from body to brain and reduce fear-based avoidance of pain. In our group-based PRT, treatment occurred over eight sessions with the first two educating patients about pain and symptoms, and the remaining six teaching a variety of techniques to use for symptom reduction. PRT was shown in one randomized controlled trial (RCT) to be a highly effective treatment for chronic pain; however, patients in the RCT reported only low-to-moderate pain and disability at baseline assessment. Thus, it is important to examine PRT further with different populations including those with greater reported chronic pain/disability.

Methods

Participants in this study were 59 individuals from a general population sample with chronic pain lasting at least six months. Participants were aged 18 or older, proficient in English, and participated in eight sessions of Pain Reprocessing Therapy offered in a group setting at an outpatient clinic. Group sizes ranged from five to nine participants. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare pain levels, as measured by the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), prior to and after completing the PRT group. Additionally, participants completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) following treatment and provided additional qualitative feedback through open-ended questions regarding what they liked about the program and what they would change.

Results

Results from paired samples t-tests revealed significant reductions in self-reported level of pain severity from pre-treatment (M = 22.4, SD = 8.8) to post-treatment (M = 17.6, SD = 8.5), t(58) = 4.8, p <.001 with a medium effect-size (d = 0.62). Findings from the CSQ-8, completed by 55 participants, indicated a generally high level of satisfaction with the treatment on a 4-point scale (M = 3.29, SD = .47, range: 2.38-4.00. Qualitative feedback was generally highly positive, while some suggestions for improving the intervention were also offered by participants.

Conclusions

Preliminary results support the feasibility of Pain Reprocessing Therapy offered in a group format for reducing the level of self-reported pain in an adult outpatient setting with members of the general public experiencing a range of chronic pain conditions. Additionally, participants generally rated the intervention as highly satisfactory. Further research should examine how additional pain-related outcomes such as disability levels, kinesiophobia, pain-related catastrophizing, and depression levels are impacted by PRT group-based interventions and should examine the effectiveness of the treatment in subpopulations known to experience pain at a greater frequency than the general population, such as first responders and military personnel.

References

Carleton, R. N., Afifi, T. O., Turner, S., Taillieu, T., El-Gabalawy, R., Sareen, J., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2017). Chronic pain among public safety personnel in Canada. Canadian Journal of Pain, 1(1), 237-246.

Libbrecht, A., Paluszek, M., Romaniuk, A., & Holens, P. L. (2021). A patient-informed qualitative evaluation of an online chronic pain treatment for military, police and Veterans. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 7(S2), 54-63.

Schopflocher, D., Taenzer, P., & Jovey, R. (2011). The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain Research and Management, 16(6), 445–450. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/876306

Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center (2024). Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Pain Reprocessing Therapy. https://www.painreprocessingtherapy.com/pain-reprocessing-therapy

Ashar, Y. K., Gordon, A., Schubiner, H., Uipi, C., Knight, K., Anderson, Z., Carlisle, J., Polisky, L., Geuter, S., Flood, T. F., Kragel, P. A., Dimidjian, S., Lumley, M. A., & Wager, T. D. (2022). Effect of pain reprocessing therapy vs placebo and usual care for patients with chronic back pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 79(1), 13-23.

Tankha, H., Lumley, M. A., Gordon, A., Schubiner, H., Uipi, C., Harries, J., Wager, T. D., Ashar, Y. K. (2023). “I don’t have chronic back pain anymore”: Patient Experiences in Pain Reprocessing Therapy for Chronic Back Pain. The Journal of Pain, 24(9), 1583-1593.

Presenting Author

Pamela Holens

Poster Authors

Pamela Holens

B.Ed., M.Ed,. M.A., Ph.D.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Aidan Kamenz

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Ashley Anderson

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Martine Southall

B.A.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Jeremiah Buhler

Ph.D.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Ian Kyte

B.A.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Taylor Linsenmeier

B.A.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Chloe McLeod

B.A.

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Roxanne Ross

University of Manitoba

Lead Author

Pavneet Gill

Seven Oaks Met School

Lead Author

Topics

  • Treatment/Management: Complementary and Alternative therapies