Figure 1, referred to as the analytical framework, depicts the Key Questions addressed in this review. To the left is a description of the population of interest to this report which is adults (including pregnant or breastfeeding women) suffering from one of five common chronic pain conditions: low back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, or tension headache. An arrow goes from the population on the left to a box on the right that delineates the primary (function/disability/pain interference, pain) and secondary outcomes of interest (psychological distress, quality of life, opioid use, sleep, healthcare utilization); also, there is separate arrow that branches off the center arrow and points to a box addressing intervention-related harms. Above this primary arrow line is a list of the interventions of interest (exercise, psychological therapies, physical modalities, manual therapies, mindfulness and mind-body practices, acupuncture, multidisciplinary rehabilitation [includes functional restoration training]). The effect that these interventions have on the outcomes on the right for each chronic pain condition of interest on the left is the basis of Key Questions 1-5. Key Question 6 is depicting by an arrow connecting patient characteristics such as age, sex, comorbidities, and nociplasticity to the population of interest on the left indicating that certain demographic or clinical variables may modify the effect of the intervention.

Figure 1Analytic framework

KQ = Key Question

a Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting ≥12 weeks or pain persisting past the normal time for tissue healing

From: Introduction

Cover of Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review Update
Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review Update [Internet].
Comparative Effectiveness Review, No. 227.
Skelly AC, Chou R, Dettori JR, et al.
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