VUB-UGent research on combined treatment of chronic pain and insomnia
Chronic pain and insomnia often occur together and can seriously affect patient well-being. To improve the quality of life of people who experience chronic pain and associated sleep disorders, the Pain in Motion and Brain, Body and Cognition research groups of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel teamed up with the SPINE research group of the University of Ghent for a large-scale investigation.
Professor Anneleen Malfliet of the Pain in Motion group: “Our research looked at 123 people with chronic spinal pain, who had suffered for at least three months with neck or lower back pain without clear cause, and who also experienced insomnia. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group who received combined therapy for both pain and sleep, and a control group who received only pain management therapy. The therapy lasted 14 weeks and the participants were monitored for a year afterwards.”
The combined therapy consisted of pain education and exercises, alongside cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. This component focused on improving sleep habits and sleep environment, as well as reducing time spent in bed to optimise sleep quality.
Liesbeth De Baets of the Pain in Motion research group, co-coördinator of the study: “Our results showed that while both groups improved in terms of pain management, the experimental group reported significantly better outcomes in terms of sleep quality and reduced insomnia. In addition, participants in the combined therapy group reported a decrease in symptoms of depression. Objective measurements of sleep, carried out using equipment similar to that used in sleep laboratories, did not show any difference between the groups, but this confirms previous findings that subjective experiences often do not align with objective measurements.”
Professor Malfliet concludes: “Based on our conclusions, we have to stress the importance of integrating sleep therapy into treatment for chronic pain. Despite the lack of additional pain relief from the combined therapy, the improvement in sleep quality and the reduction in symptoms of depression proved to be of great importance for people’s overall well-being. So we need to pay more attention to sleep problems in chronic pain patients. This includes not only GPs but also physiotherapists, who are often closely involved in treatment. With the correct supervision, physiotherapists can effectively contribute to sleep therapy. Currently, this tends to be done by psychologists.”
The study was published as:
Malfliet A, De Baets L, Bilterys T, et al. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Pain Management for Nonspecific Chronic Spinal Pain : A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2425856. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.25856
Contact :
Anneleen.malfliet@vub.be 0484/268.321
Liesbet.De.Baets@vub.be 0477/744.191
