Trial reportPain medicine (Malden, Mass.)2020
Morning Bright Light Treatment for Chronic Low Back Pain: Potential Impact on the Volatility of Pain, Mood, Function, and Sleep.
Trial report in Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Shedding light on pain management: a translational systematic review of light therapy for the treatment of chronic pain.EBioMedicine · 2026Pooled it
- Examining photoperiod, chronotype, and adherence as predictors of morning light treatment effects on depression symptoms: A study of five clinical trials.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Pooled it
- The role of affect in chronic pain: A systematic review of within-person symptom dynamics.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2021Pooled it
- Transcranial photobiomodulation with near-infrared laser induces analgesia in rats.The Journal of physiology · 2026Article
- Mechanisms and clinical application of photobiomodulation in pain therapy: a mini review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- What Links Sleep and Neuropathic Pain?: A Literature Review on the Neural Circuits for Sleep and Pain Control.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Review
- Light-eye-body axis: exploring the network from retinal illumination to systemic regulation.Theranostics · 2025Review
- A Comprehensive Overview of the Neural Mechanisms of Light Therapy.Neuroscience bulletin · 2024Review
- Looking for a Beam of Light to Heal Chronic Pain.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- Intensity of Chronic Low Back Pain and Activity Interference: A Daily Diary Study of the Moderating Role of Cognitive Pain Coping Strategies.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2023Article
- Healthy Dwelling: Design of Biophilic Interior Environments Fostering Self-Care Practices for People Living with Migraines, Chronic Pain, and Depression.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Comparing Types of Yoga for Chronic Low Back and Neck Pain in Military Personnel: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.Global advances in health and medicine · 2022Article
- Mechanisms and Pathways of Pain Photobiomodulation: A Narrative Review.The journal of pain · 2021Review
- The influence of sleep disturbances and sleep disorders on pain outcomes among veterans: A systematic scoping review.Sleep medicine reviews · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesMost treatment outcome studies for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) have based analyses on and reported only the mean levels of these factors. However, high levels of pain, mood, function, and sleep volatility may represent unique factors contributing to diminished quality of life. Our goal was to determine whether bright light treatment affected both mean levels of pain, mood, function, and sleep and reduced volatility in these outcomes.
methodsUS military veterans with CLBP (N = 22) underwent an open trial with a seven-day baseline, followed by 13 days of a one-hour morning bright light treatment self-administered at their home and a 30-day follow-up. Participants completed daily diary measures at 12 Pm and 6 Pm every day during the three study epochs.
resultsUsing location scale modeling, results suggested that, in addition to being associated with changes in mean levels of pain intensity, pain interference, negative affect, and sleep quality, bright light treatment was also related to reductions in the volatility of pain intensity and negative affect, reductions that were largely maintained during follow-up.
conclusionsChanges in mean levels and volatility were independent factors, suggesting that bright light treatment was related to participants experiencing fewer "pain flares." These findings underscore the potential importance of volatility as a future treatment target.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.