Non-Drug Treatments for Pain

Many people with chronic pain problems don’t want to take painkilling meds, or can’t take them because of unacceptable side effects. They turn to alternatives, some of which may be effective in their particular case.

Mind-body therapies, which focus on the interactions between the mind, body and behavior, may be of benefit to elderly chronic pain sufferers. An article published in the journal Pain Medicine reviews 8 mind-body interventions for older people, including biofeedback, muscle relaxation, meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis, tai chi, qi gong, and yoga. All 8 treatments were found to be feasible for older adults, with no adverse events or safety issues. However, there isn’t sufficient evidence from well-controlled clinical trials to prove their effectiveness.

Some studies suggest that progressive muscle relaxation plus guided imagery is effective for older people with osteoarthritis pain, while meditation and tai chi appear to improve function and coping with low back pain and osteoarthritis. Biofeedback, tai chi, yoga, and hypnosis reduced pain in some studies, but are not as conclusive as one would like.

Mind-body treatments are well-suited to the older adult with chronic pain, because of their gentle approach. But larger, well-designed studies are needed to determine which particular treatment is appropriate for which particular chronic disease.