Internet interventions for chronic pain including headache: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Medicine
• Digital Health
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic pain affects millions globally, necessitating accessible and effective treatments.
• Behavioral treatments show efficacy, but availability is limited.
• Internet-based interventions present a promising avenue for widespread chronic pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review internet-based interventions for chronic pain.
• To assess effects on disability, pain intensity, catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety.
• To include a broad range of chronic pain diagnoses and age groups.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of 891 studies, selecting 22 eligible trials.
• Included trials with diverse chronic pain diagnoses, including headache/migraine.
• Assessed outcomes such as disability, pain, catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety.

Main Results:

• Twelve trials reported significant improvements in disability/interference and pain intensity.
• Positive effects observed for psychological variables including catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety.
• Meta-analysis indicated moderate effect sizes for disability (g=-0.39), pain (g=-0.33), catastrophizing (g=-0.49), and mood (g=-0.26).

Conclusions:

• Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious for chronic pain management.
• Findings align with results from traditional clinical settings.
• Online CBT interventions demonstrate significant benefits across multiple outcome domains.