The effectiveness of using “Painmetrica” software for the diagnosis and selection of treatment for chronic pain syndrome in degenerative diseases of the spine

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of using the “Painmetrica” software for the diagnosis and selection of treatment for pain in degenerative diseases of the spine. Materials and methods. Software “Painmetrica” was developed for the diagnosis and selection of treatment for pain in degenerative diseases of the spine. Through a bidirectional nonrandomized controlled trial, its effectiveness was evaluated using telephone interviews with 42 patients. For comparison, a telephone interview was conducted with 47 patients for whom the Panimetrica program had not been used in the treatment.Results. The effectiveness of using “Painmetrica” software for the diagnosis and selection of treatment for patients with back pain was demonstrated. In the main group, the decrease in pain syndrome tended to differ due to an increase in the number of patients in whom pain was relieved by more than 50% and completely disappeared (p = 0,09 according to the two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). Patients treated with Painmetrica algorithms experienced sleep recovery due to a decrease in pain: changes persisted in 12 cases (28,6%), while in the comparison group, sleep changes remained in 24 patients (51,1%) (p=0,05 according to two-tailed Fisher’s exact test). Against the background of effective pain relief in patients who used Painmetrica, there was a decrease in the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (17 patients (40,5%) of the main group versus 36 patients (76,6%) of the control group, p = 0,001 according to the twotailed Fisher’s exact test ). At the same time, only 8 patients (19.1%) in the main group and 30 patients (63.8%) in the comparison group (p < 0.001 according to Fisher’s two-sided exact test) indicated the need to consult a neurologist.Conclusion. The effectiveness of the use of “Painmetrica” software for the diagnosis and selection of treatment of patients with degenerative diseases of the spine on an outpatient basis in relation to the need for patients to use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the need for additional consultation of a neurologist, as well as effective relief of sleep disorders caused by pain were demonstrated.