Reductions in pain medication use associated with traditional Chinese medicine for chronic pain.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Participants in a randomized trial of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) had a linear decline in pain over 16 TCM visits.

Objective

To investigate whether reductions in pain among participants receiving TCM can be explained by increased use of pain medications, or whether use of pain medications also declined in this group.

Design

One hundred sixty-eight participants with TMD were treated with TCM or enhanced self-care according to a stepped-care design. Those for whom self-care failed were sequentially randomized to further self-care or TCM. This report includes 111 participants during their first 16 TCM visits. The initial 8 visits occurred more than once a week; participants and practitioners determined the freq

SUBMITTER: Elder C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3442756 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature