Army uses holistic approach for pain management

The July 11 edition of the Army Times contains an article on how the Army is exploring a variety of alternative pain management techniques that could be combined with traditional techniques. Therapies such as yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture—which have proven effective in helping patients deal with pain—are being considered. The Army-supervised Pain Management Task Force has released 109 recommendations on how to manage pain more effectively. These include installing interdisciplinary pain management centers, using a new, more informative pain rating scale, and standardizing a pre-treatment pain assessment information system. The goal is not to do away with using traditional pain medications, but to explore other methods that can be effectively integrated with current treatments.

The Army Times article can be accessed for more detailed information.