In Chronic Pain? You Might Need Psychotherapy

Video: Aching Back Pain

Here's a look at three other common treatments:

Meditation—the act of focusing attention on your breath, an object, or a word, or maintaining a specific type of posture—is intended to relax the mind and body. Goals of the technique include achieving psychological balance, mental calmness, or physical relaxation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Scientists don't know whether meditation has a positive impact on health, but studies are underway to find more answers about how helpful it might be and, if so, for which diseases or conditions. The technique seems to reduce stress, which may result in decreased pain.

Hypnosis is a focused type of concentration. It may involve saying a positive statement repeatedly or, in the case of guided imagery, thinking of relaxing images. It's considered to be a simple yet effective method of pain reduction for many people, as noted by the National Library of Medicine. The technique has been tried for relief of pain after surgery or during labor and for pain caused by arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and headaches.

Biofeedback measures blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, muscle tension, and skin temperature. The goal is to adjust these bodily functions through relaxation techniques or by thinking of pleasing images. As these levels are shown on a screen, the practitioner working with you talks about stressful situations and then provides instructions on techniques for relaxation, in an effort to show you how your blood pressure and heart rate react. The goal is for people to learn how to apply these techniques in real life when they feel themselves becoming stressed. Biofeedback is thought to help with chronic pain as well as high blood pressure, headaches, and urinary incontinence.