ABSTRACT
Pain management has become a central issue in modern health care, with an estimated annual cost of $560–$635 billion in the United States alone, exceeding the combined costs of care for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes. Emerging research efforts to identify effective treatments are focusing on the pathophysiology of central sensitization and how best to modify abnormal pain processing pathways. Although theoretically mind–body approaches could be applied in nearly any pain condition, research support is strongest in a handful of conditions. Some of them are low back pain, musculoskeletal pain, headache, functional abdominal pain, end of life pain, and arthritis and central sensitization patterns seen in fibromyalgia and related illnesses. Mindful movement in the form of yoga and tai chi also show promise in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Web-based technology has also been developed and tested for use in adults with non-specific low back pain.
