Masters Thesis

Complementary and Alternative Therapy Use in Chronic Pain Management

The high prevalence of chronic pain and rising incidence of opioid abuse among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans from recent war conflicts require an integrated care management approach. Complementary and alternative therapies, in addition to pharmacological therapies, address the complex and pervasive challenges of treating and managing chronic pain. This descriptive single case study design collected data from a semi-structured interview of a single Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veteran participant using complementary and alternative therapies for chronic pain management. The semi-structured interview included demographic data and open-ended questions to explore the veteran’s experiences with complementary and alternative therapies. The outcomes of an in-depth analysis of the experiences of an OEF veteran with Complementary and Alternative therapy showed that acupuncture was the most effective integrated modality used to manage chronic low back pain. Themes that have emerged from the study include (1) willingness of veteran to try complementary and alternative therapies for pain management, (2) effective pain management with complementary and alternative therapies, and (3) challenges to complementary and alternative therapy use.

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