Biofeedback-assisted relaxation training for the aging chronic pain patient

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Pain Management
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• The U.S. population is aging, with older adults consuming a significant portion of healthcare resources, particularly for pain-related musculoskeletal disorders.
• Previous research indicated older patients achieve similar success rates as younger patients in multidisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the ability of older and younger chronic pain patients to learn physiological self-regulation skills.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of biofeedback and relaxation training in different age groups.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study comparing older (55-78 yr) and younger (29-48 yr) chronic pain patients.
• The biofeedback/relaxation component included progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and electromyography (EMG) biofeedback.
• Objective measures included digital skin temperature, respiration rate, and EMG for upper trapezius muscles.

Main Results:

• Both age groups demonstrated significant improvements in digital skin temperature (peripheral vasodilation) and decreases in respiration rate (p values = .04 to .0001).
• No significant differences in learning self-regulation skills were observed between the older and younger patient groups (p > .05).
• Patients with cervical pain in both age groups showed similar deficits in muscle control and comparable improvements with EMG biofeedback training.

Conclusions:

• Older adults respond well to the biofeedback/relaxation training component of multimodal pain programs.
• Age is not a barrier to learning physiological self-regulation skills for chronic pain management.
• These findings support the inclusion of biofeedback and relaxation techniques in pain rehabilitation for older populations.