Use of Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies Before Intensive Functional Restoration in Active Duty Service Members with Chronic Pain.

objectivePsychosocial factors are known to predict chronic pain, and the use of complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies to address pain is emerging among the military population. However, conflicting results on pain outcomes warrant additional research. This study aimed to 1) evaluate the benefit of adding a CIH pain management program to standard rehabilitative care (SRC), as compared with SRC alone, as a precursor to an intensive functional restoration (FR) program; 2) identify factors that predict improvement in pain outcomes after treatment; and 3) determine the proportion of participants who experience a clinically meaningful response.

designPragmatic randomized controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomized to a 3-week course of either SRC alone or SRC+CIH (stage 1), followed by a 3- to 6-week course of FR (stage 2). SUBJECTS: Active duty service members with chronic pain.

methodsParticipants completed either SRC alone or SRC+CIH (stage 1), followed by a course of FR (stage 2). Patient-reported and provider-determined outcomes were collected at baseline, after stage 1, and after stage 2. A covariance pattern model with an unstructured residual covariance matrix was used to compare treatment arms while accounting for dependency due to repeated measurements.

resultsA total of 210 service members participated. Most were in the Army (82%) and were male (84%). Participants randomized to the SRC+CIH intervention had greater improvement in the pain impact score than did those in the SRC-alone group. Predictors of outcomes were baseline impact score, anger, depression, and educational status.

conclusionsThis study found that military service members with the highest pain impact benefit the most from interdisciplinary pain care.