Brief pain reprocessing therapy for fibromyalgia: a feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy pilot.
case_series · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40973446.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1136/rapm-2025-107076 and PMC identifier 12515369.
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Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common, disabling, and costly nociplastic pain condition. Most frontline treatments show modest effects in reducing pain in FM, which may be due to a mismatch between the mechanisms of existing interventions and mechanisms underlying nociplastic pain. The current study was a single-arm, open-label trial examining the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a novel, three-session telehealth behavioral intervention (Brief Pain Reprocessing Therapy (BPRT)). BPRT incorporates psychological techniques specifically targeting the putative mechanisms of nociplastic pain in a brief, telehealth format. 35 adults with FM initiated treatment. Participants were asked to complete three one-on-one intervention sessions via telehealth and online questionnaires at four time points (pre-intervention and at 1, 2, and 3 months post-intervention) assessing average pain intensity, pain interference, and pain-related fear. 33 participants (94.3%) completed the BPRT protocol. Acceptability ratings for BPRT were high (62.0 out of 70 on the Treatment Acceptability/Adherence Scale). BPRT completers reported significant reductions in average pain intensity (B=-0.645, 95% CI -0.896 to -0.395, p<0.001; 1-month d=0.56, 2-month d=0.80, 3-month d=0.89), pain interference (B=-2.19, 95% CI -3.06 to -1.31, p<0.001; 1-month d=0.76, 2-month d=1.02, 3-month d=1.06), and pain-related fear (B=-2.29, 95% CI -3.07 to -1.51, p<0.001; 1-month d=0.60, 2-month d=0.88, 3-month d=1.04). At the 3-month follow-up, 42.3% of completers reported being 'much improved' or 'very much improved.' BPRT is feasible and acceptable, with promising preliminary efficacy for reducing pain, pain interference, and pain-related fear in FM. These findings highlight the possibility of reducing FM pain and interference using a brief telehealth intervention. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to rigorously evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of BPRT.