Table 2.
Effects for individual studies
| Study | Outcome | Measure | % pain change Tx Grp | % pain change Ctrl Grp | SMD (95 % CI) | Follow-up (week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astin et al. [53] | Pain | SF-36 pain score | −31.58 % | −34.39 % | 0.02 (−0.47, 0.5) | 14 |
| −28.79 % | −35.03 % | −0.04 (−0.52, 0.45) | 24 | |||
| −23.22 % | −29.94 % | −0.05 (−0.54, 0.43) | 8 | |||
| Depression | BDI | – | – | 0.15 (−0.35, 0.64) | 24 | |
| Bakhshani et al. [61] | Pain | Significant improvement in pain, quality of life; sample size of groups at follow-up not reported | ||||
| Quality of life | ||||||
| Banth and Ardebil [60] | Pain | MPQ | −47.92 % | −11.62 % | 2.5 (1.94, 3.07) | 12 |
| Quality of life | SF-12 mental health | – | – | 1.11 (0.65, 1.56) | 8 | |
| – | – | 1.49 (1.01, 1.97) | 12 | |||
| SF-12 physical health | – | – | 1.34 (0.88, 1.81) | 8 | ||
| – | – | 1.86 (1.36, 2.37) | 12 | |||
| Brown and Jones [54] | Pain | Laser pain unpleasantness | 9.26 % | 6.78 % | 0.24 (−0.51, 0.98) | 24 |
| Quality of life, mental | SF-36 mental composite | – | – | 1.16 (0.36, 1.96) | 24 | |
| Quality of life, physical | SF-36 physical composite | – | – | −0.42 (−1.17, 0.33) | 24 | |
| Cash et al. [39] | Pain | VAS | −4.26 % | −5.92 % | 0 (−0.42, 0.41) | 16 |
| −11.31 % | −1.01 % | 0.32 (−0.1, 0.74) | 8 | |||
| Cathcart et al. [40] | Pain | Headache intensity | −4.42 % | −11.16 % | 0.08 (−0.52, 0.69) | 8 |
| Cherkin et al. [38] | Pain | Significant reductions in pain and disability; Reported only adjusted data | ||||
| Disability | ||||||
| Davis and Zautra [42] | Pain | Pain | −0.93 % | −1.52 % | −0.24 (−0.69, 0.2) | 6 |
| Day et al. [41] | Pain | BPI intensity | −11.98 % | −6.53 % | −0.01 (−0.66, 0.65) | 8 |
| Dowd et al. [43] | Pain | Average pain | 1.26 % | −11.77 % | 0 (−0.36, 0.35) | 6 |
| 7.18 % | 1.71 % | −0.19 (−0.54, 0.17) | 30 | |||
| Esmer et al. [55] | Pain | VAS | −29.74 % | −0.82 % | 0.3 (−0.5, 1.1) | 12 |
| Disability | Roland-Morris disability | – | – | 0.90 ( 0.06 , 1.74 ) | 12 | |
| Fjorback et al. [32] | Pain | SF-36 bodily pain | −31.25 % | −7.38 % | 0.15 (−0.23, 0.53) | 12 |
| −44.12 % | −12.08 % | 0.23 (−0.18, 0.63) | 36 | |||
| −34.93 % | −31.54 % | −0.1 (−0.51, 0.31) | 60 | |||
| Quality of life, mental | SF-36 mental composite | – | – | −0.04 (−0.42, 0.34) | 60 | |
| Quality of life, physical | SF-36 physical composite | – | – | 0.22 (−0.16, 0.61) | 60 | |
| Fogarty et al. [30] | Pain | Significant reduction reported; no usable data as only reported change within group | ||||
| Garland et al. [44] | Pain | BPI | −12.32 % | 11.11 % | 0.76 (0.38, 1.14) | 20 |
| −10.66 % | 4.01 % | 0.57 (0.19, 0.94) | 8 | |||
| Gaylord et al. [45] | Pain | Pain severity | −42.96 % | −14.73 % | 0.53 (0.06, 0.99) | 20 |
| −35.83 % | −5.36 % | 0.54 (0.08, 1) | 8 | |||
| Depression | BSI-18 depression | – | – | 0.03 (−0.42, 0.49) | 20 | |
| Quality of life, general | IBS quality of life | – | – | 0.25 (−0.21, 0.7) | 20 | |
| Jay et al. [50] | Pain | Significant reduction reported; no usable data as only reported differences | ||||
| Johns et al. [37] | Pain | BPI | −35.19 % | −30.90 % | −0.07 (−0.54, 0.41) | 24 |
| Kanter et al. [62] | Pain | VAS | −16.95 % | −19.30 % | −0.14 (−1.05, 0.77) | 8 |
| Quality of life | SF-12 MCS | 0.7 (−0.24, 1.64) | 8 | |||
| SF-12 PCS | −0.02 (−0.93, 0.89) | 8 | ||||
| Kearney et al. [51] | Pain | MPQ | −23.87 % | −5.67 % | 0.41 (−0.13, 0.94) | 24 |
| Depression | PHQ | – | – | 0.34 (−0.2, 0.87) | 8 | |
| – | – | 0.47 (−0.07, 1) | 24 | |||
| la Cour and Petersen [46] | Pain | BPI | −1.05 % | −6.77 % | −0.16 (−0.53, 0.22) | 8 |
| Depression | HADS | – | – | 0.37 (−0.01, 0.75) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, mental | SF-36 mental composite | – | – | 0.53 (0.15, 0.91) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, physical | SF-36 physical composite | – | – | 0.00 (−0.38, 0.38) | 8 | |
| Lengacher et al. [52] | Pain | BPI | −25.92 % | −10.63 % | 0.02 (−0.2, 0.25) | 12 |
| Depression | CES-D score | – | – | 0.12 (−0.11, 0.35) | 6 | |
| – | – | 0.04 (−0.18, 0.27) | 12 | |||
| Quality of life | QoL MOS SF-36 | – | – | −0.05 (−0.28, 0.17) | 6 | |
| – | – | 0.01 (−0.21, 0.24) | 12 | |||
| Ljotsson et al. [33] | Pain | Total pain | −46.15 % | 0.00 % | 0.64 (0.19, 1.08) | 10 |
| Depression | MADRS-S | – | – | 0.43 (−0.02, 0.87) | 10 | |
| Quality of life, general | IBS quality of life | – | – | 0.95 (0.49, 1.41) | 10 | |
| Disability | Sheehan disability scale | – | – | 0.47 ( 0.02, 0.91) | 10 | |
| Ljotsson et al. [34] | Pain | Significant reduction IBS pain/discomfort; no usable data as did not report pain measure | 24 | |||
| Depression | HADS | – | – | 0 (−0.28, 0.28) | 24 | |
| Quality of life, general | IBS quality of life | – | – | 0.51 (0.22, 0.8) | 24 | |
| Meize-Grochowski et al. [56] | Pain | SF MPQ—total pain | −8.57 % | −4.17 % | −0.48 (−1.25, 0.28) | 2 |
| SF MPQ—total pain | −25.71 % | −12.50 % | −0.31 (−1.07, 0.45) | 8 | ||
| Depression | CES-D | – | – | 0.32 (−1.08, 0.44) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, mental | Emotional well being | – | – | 0.07 (−0.69, 0.82) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, physical | Average physical subscales | – | – | −0.02 (−0.77, 0.74) | 8 | |
| Morone et al. [47] | Pain | SF MPQ | −11.61 % | 3.29 % | 0.23 (−0.42, 0.88) | 8 |
| Quality of life, mental | SF-36 mental composite | – | – | 0.22 (−0.43, 0.86) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, physical | SF-36 physical composite | – | – | 0.11 (−0.53, 0.76) | 8 | |
| Disability | Roland-Morris disability | – | – | 0.23 (−0.42, 0.87) | 8 | |
| Morone et al. [57] | Pain | SF MPQ—total pain | −22.44 % | −26.71 % | −0.04 (−0.7, 0.63) | 24 |
| SF MPQ—total pain | −26.28 % | −29.19 % | −0.01 (−0.68, 0.65) | 8 | ||
| Morone et al. [36] | Pain | Numeric pain rating—average | −13.64 % | 0.95 % | 0.22 (−0.01, 0.46) | 24 |
| Quality of life | SF-36 global health composite | – | – | 0.17 (−0.06, 0.41) | 8 | |
| – | – | 0.03 (−0.2, 0.26) | 24 | |||
| SF-36 physical health composite | – | – | 0.17 (−0.06, 0.4) | 8 | ||
| – | – | 0 (−0.23, 0.23) | 24 | |||
| Plews-Ogan et al. [59] | Pain | Pain unpleasantness vs. TAU | −7.46 % | −8.70 % | 0.02 (CI, −1.04, 1.07) | 12 |
| Pain unpleasantness vs. massage | −7.46 % | −25.35 % | −0.16 (−1.19, 0.88) | 12 | ||
| Pain unpleasantness vs. TAU | −16.42 % | −13.04 % | 0.07 (CI, −0.99, 1.13) | 4 | ||
| Pain unpleasantness vs. massage | −16.42 % | −12.68 % | −0.11 (CI, −0.92, 1.14) | 4 | ||
| Pain unpleasantness vs. TAU | −13.43 % | −1.45 % | 0.17 (CI, −0.89, 1.23) | 8 | ||
| Pain unpleasantness vs. massage | −13.43 % | −39.44 % | −0.3 (CI, −1.34, 0.74) | 8 | ||
| Quality of Life, mental | SF-12 mental composite | – | – | 0.67 (−0.42, 1.75) | 12 | |
| Rahmani and Talepasand [63] | Pain | Global quality symptoms—pain | −26.52 % | 11.11 % | 1.85 (0.89, 2.8) | 16 |
| −44.89 % | −1.85 % | 3.24 (2.02, 4.46) | 8 | |||
| Quality of life, general | Global quality total score | – | – | 1.18 (0.32, 2.05) | 16 | |
| Schmidt et al. [48] | Pain | Pain perception scale vs. waitlist | −13.19 % | −6.90 % | 0.17 (−0.2, 0.55) | 16 |
| Pain perception scale vs. active | −13.19 % | −7.40 % | 0.15 (−0.22, 0.53) | 16 | ||
| Pain Perception Scale vs. waitlist | −11.87 % | −8.00 % | 0.08 (−0.3, 0.45) | 8 | ||
| Pain perception scale vs. active | −11.87 % | −4.86 % | 0.22 (−0.16, 0.6) | 8 | ||
| Depression | CES-D | – | – | 0.1 (−0.27, 0.48) | 16 | |
| Quality of Life, General | QoL profile for chronically ill | – | – | 0.26 (−0.12, 0.63) | 16 | |
| Teixeira [64] | Pain | NeuroQoL pain | Missing baseline mean | 0.14 (−0.74, 1.01) | 4 | |
| Quality of life, general | NeuroQoL overall | – | – | 0.79 (−0.12, 1.7) | 4 | |
| Wells et al. [49] | Pain | Headache severity | −25.00 % | 0.00 % | 0.99 (0.04, 1.95) | 12 |
| Headache severity | −27.27 % | 8.33 % | 1.5 (0.48, 2.51) | 8 | ||
| Depression | PHQ | – | – | 0.59 (−0.33, 1.51) | 8 | |
| Quality of life, general | Migraine-specific QoL | – | – | −0.43 (−1.34, 0.48) | 8 | |
| Wong [65] | Pain | Significant pain decrease; no usable data | ||||
| Wong [28] | Pain | No significant effect; no usable data | ||||
| Zautra et al. [29] | Pain | Pain vs. education | −14.49 % | −17.70 % | 0.22 (−0.2, 0.63) | 8 |
| Pain vs. cognitive behavior therapy | −14.49 % | −14.34 % | 0.56 (0.16, 0.96) | 8 | ||
| Depression | Depressive symptoms | – | – | 0.28 (−0.13, 0.7) | 8 | |
| Zgierska et al. [35] | Pain | Significant pain decrease; no follow-up data available |
Note. BDI Beck depression inventory, BPI brief pain index; BS brief symptom inventory, CES-D The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, CI confidence interval, MADRS Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; MPQ McGill Pain Questionnaire, NPS Neuropathic Pain Scale, NeuroQoL Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders; PHQ Patient Health Questionnaire, QoL quality of life, SF-36 Short-Form Health Survey 36, SF MPQ Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, SMD standardized mean difference, TAU treatment as usual, VAS Visual Analog Scale