TY - JOUR
T1 - Complementary and alternative medicine use among veterans with chronic noncancer pain
AU - Denneson, Lauren M.
AU - Corson, Kathryn
AU - Dobscha, Steven K.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - We describe prior use and willingness to try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among 401 veterans experiencing chronic noncancer pain and explore differences between CAM users and nonusers. Participants in a randomized controlled trial of a collaborative intervention for chronic pain from five Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care clinics self-reported prior use and willingness to try chiropractic care, massage therapy, herbal medicines, and acupuncture. Prior CAM users were compared with nonusers on demographic characteristics, pain-related clinical characteristics, disease burden, and treatment satisfaction. A majority of veterans (n = 327, 82%) reported prior use of at least one CAM modality, and nearly all (n = 399, 99%) were willing to try CAM treatment for pain. Chiropractic care was the least preferred option, whereas massage therapy was the most preferred (75% and 96%, respectively). CAM users were less likely to have service-connection disabilities (54% vs 68%; chi square = 4.64, p = 0.03) and reported having spent a larger percentage of their lives in pain (26% vs 20%; Z = 1.40, p = 0.04) than nonusers. We detected few differences between veterans who had tried CAM and those who had not, suggesting that CAM may have broad appeal among veterans with chronic pain. Implications for VA policy and practice and for clinicians treating veterans with chronic pain are discussed.
AB - We describe prior use and willingness to try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among 401 veterans experiencing chronic noncancer pain and explore differences between CAM users and nonusers. Participants in a randomized controlled trial of a collaborative intervention for chronic pain from five Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care clinics self-reported prior use and willingness to try chiropractic care, massage therapy, herbal medicines, and acupuncture. Prior CAM users were compared with nonusers on demographic characteristics, pain-related clinical characteristics, disease burden, and treatment satisfaction. A majority of veterans (n = 327, 82%) reported prior use of at least one CAM modality, and nearly all (n = 399, 99%) were willing to try CAM treatment for pain. Chiropractic care was the least preferred option, whereas massage therapy was the most preferred (75% and 96%, respectively). CAM users were less likely to have service-connection disabilities (54% vs 68%; chi square = 4.64, p = 0.03) and reported having spent a larger percentage of their lives in pain (26% vs 20%; Z = 1.40, p = 0.04) than nonusers. We detected few differences between veterans who had tried CAM and those who had not, suggesting that CAM may have broad appeal among veterans with chronic pain. Implications for VA policy and practice and for clinicians treating veterans with chronic pain are discussed.
KW - Acupuncture
KW - Aged
KW - Alternative therapies
KW - Chiropractic
KW - Chronic pain
KW - Complementary therapies
KW - Delivery of healthcare
KW - Herbal medicine
KW - Massage therapy
KW - Veterans
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=83255192059&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=83255192059&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1682/JRRD.2010.12.0243
DO - 10.1682/JRRD.2010.12.0243
M3 - Article
C2 - 22234716
AN - SCOPUS:83255192059
SN - 0748-7711
VL - 48
SP - 1119
EP - 1128
JO - Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
JF - Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
IS - 9
ER -