Online program helps people to manage chronic pain

There is good news for the 76 million Americans who experience chronic pain including migraine, back pain, fibromyalgia and arthritis.  A new study reveals that an online, self-paced chronic pain management program reduces the physical and psychological burdens of this debilitating condition.  The data are being presented at the 30th Annual American Pain Society meeting.

Linda S. Ruehlman, PhD, lead author and Director of Research at Goalistics, LLC, along with Paul Karoly, PhD, Director of Product Development at Goalistics, LLC and Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, conducted a randomized controlled study of 305 people with chronic pain (162 people were randomly assigned to the online program for two months, 143 were wait listed).  Program users reported a statistically significant decrease in pain's interference with work, social activities, household chores and sleep.  Additionally, they experienced a significant reduction in stress, anxiety and depression while increasing their pain management knowledge.

"Our goal in developing the program was to take traditional pain treatment methods and transform them to an online format so that more people with chronic pain could learn effective pain management strategies at their own pace in the privacy of their own home," said Ruehlman.