University of Michigan: Older, Wealthier Patients Seek Alternative Therapies in Pain Management

A new study from the University of Michigan found that one out of three patients with chronic pain reported using complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits for pain relief, but socioeconomic factors also play a role in which patients choose to seek alternative therapies, according to a U-M news release.

The study appears in the journal, Pain Medicine.

The study found that whites used alternative modalities more frequently than blacks, and elderly adults had a higher frequency of using alternative therapies than younger adults. Lead author Carmen R. Green, MD, U-M professor of anesthesiology and obstetrics and gynecology and associate professor of health management and policy, said this pattern may be due to alternative medicine therapies usually attracting individuals with higher education levels and income, or the pattern could be a result of differences in insurance coverage.

Researchers investigated the ethnic and racial disparities in treating chronic pain in 5,750 adults over a six-year period. Socioeconomic characteristics, medical history, physical and social health characteristics and pain-related symptoms in both black and white adults with chronic pain were collected with the Pain Assessment Inventory Narrative to assess the treatment methods, according to the release.

The types of practitioner-based alternative therapy examined included manipulation therapy such as chiropractic or physical therapy procedures, biofeedback and acupuncture, which were most often use by people with chronic pain, according to the release.

Of those observed, 35 percent reported using at least one form of complementary and alternative medicine therapy with 25 percent using manipulation techniques, 13 percent using biofeedback and 8 percent acupuncture, according to the release.

Dr. Green noted that these therapies can be beneficial to chronic pain patients, but further studies investigating the effectiveness of these therapies and risks and benefits are needed. Patients should also be encouraged to share information of complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their physician, according to the release.

Read the U-M release on the frequency of alternative medicine therapies in chronic pain management.