Alternative therapies in chronic non-cancer pain management: A scoping review of randomized controlled trials

IF 3.3 3区 医学 Q1 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Complementary therapies in medicine Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103154
Yuxing Zhang , Bangqi Wu , Peng Qin , Yupei Cheng , Yuyan Chen
{"title":"Alternative therapies in chronic non-cancer pain management: A scoping review of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Yuxing Zhang ,&nbsp;Bangqi Wu ,&nbsp;Peng Qin ,&nbsp;Yupei Cheng ,&nbsp;Yuyan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103154","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Chronic pain is one of the most challenging health problems in modern society, placing significant burdens on individuals and healthcare systems. While pharmacological treatments remain the primary approach to pain management, their limitations often restrict choices for both clinicians and patients. In contrast, complementary therapies are gaining recognition for their potential effectiveness and safety. However, the current literature lacks a comprehensive summary of the role of complementary therapies in chronic pain management.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This review aims to summarize the complementary therapies used in chronic non-cancer pain management, assess their practical applications, identify research gaps and limitations, and provide a comprehensive perspective for the development of chronic non-cancer pain management and personalized pain management strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the last decade were retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science using the keywords \"chronic pain\" and \"complementary therapy.\" Non-English studies were excluded.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 848 RCTs were identified, of which 128 met the inclusion criteria. The included studies addressed chronic musculoskeletal pain (102 studies), chronic visceral pain (5 studies), chronic neuropathic pain (7 studies), and 13 studies that did not specify the pain type. The complementary therapies investigated included acupuncture, manual therapy, exercise therapy, psychological interventions, mind-body therapies, and physical modalities.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This review provides preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of complementary therapies in the management of chronic non-cancer pain. However, methodological and quality-related limitations were identified in the included studies. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to validate the long-term efficacy of these therapies, explore their mechanisms of action, and provide stronger evidence for their clinical application.</div></div><div><h3>Registration</h3><div>This scoping review is registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) under the following DOI: <span><span>https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/67K32</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10545,"journal":{"name":"Complementary therapies in medicine","volume":"90 ","pages":"Article 103154"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Complementary therapies in medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229925000299","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Chronic pain is one of the most challenging health problems in modern society, placing significant burdens on individuals and healthcare systems. While pharmacological treatments remain the primary approach to pain management, their limitations often restrict choices for both clinicians and patients. In contrast, complementary therapies are gaining recognition for their potential effectiveness and safety. However, the current literature lacks a comprehensive summary of the role of complementary therapies in chronic pain management.

Objective

This review aims to summarize the complementary therapies used in chronic non-cancer pain management, assess their practical applications, identify research gaps and limitations, and provide a comprehensive perspective for the development of chronic non-cancer pain management and personalized pain management strategies.

Methods

This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the last decade were retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science using the keywords "chronic pain" and "complementary therapy." Non-English studies were excluded.

Results

A total of 848 RCTs were identified, of which 128 met the inclusion criteria. The included studies addressed chronic musculoskeletal pain (102 studies), chronic visceral pain (5 studies), chronic neuropathic pain (7 studies), and 13 studies that did not specify the pain type. The complementary therapies investigated included acupuncture, manual therapy, exercise therapy, psychological interventions, mind-body therapies, and physical modalities.

Conclusion

This review provides preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of complementary therapies in the management of chronic non-cancer pain. However, methodological and quality-related limitations were identified in the included studies. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to validate the long-term efficacy of these therapies, explore their mechanisms of action, and provide stronger evidence for their clinical application.

Registration

This scoping review is registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) under the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/67K32.
查看原文
分享 分享
微信好友 朋友圈 QQ好友 复制链接
本刊更多论文
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 去求助
来源期刊
Complementary therapies in medicine
Complementary therapies in medicine 医学-全科医学与补充医学
CiteScore
8.60
自引率
2.80%
发文量
101
审稿时长
112 days
期刊介绍: Complementary Therapies in Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed journal that has considerable appeal to anyone who seeks objective and critical information on complementary therapies or who wishes to deepen their understanding of these approaches. It will be of particular interest to healthcare practitioners including family practitioners, complementary therapists, nurses, and physiotherapists; to academics including social scientists and CAM researchers; to healthcare managers; and to patients. Complementary Therapies in Medicine aims to publish valid, relevant and rigorous research and serious discussion articles with the main purpose of improving healthcare.
期刊最新文献
Motor learning-based clinical pilates training for the Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation @Parkinsonpilates: A parallel group, randomised controlled trial with 3-month follow-up Alternative therapies in chronic non-cancer pain management: A scoping review of randomized controlled trials Effectiveness and safety of acupoint embedding therapy for treating intractable facial paralysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Efficacy of biofeedback for migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis Effects of Mawangdui exercise intervention on the pulmonary function, physical fitness and quality of life in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A randomised controlled trial
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
已复制链接
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
×
扫码分享
扫码分享
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1