Moving Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Charting a Path to Personalized Nonpharmacological and Noninvasive Chronic Pain Management

One-size-fits-all opioid treatment for chronic pain may undermine treatment effectiveness and cause adverse effects. We explore personalized nonpharmacological and noninvasive chronic pain treatment as a promising approach to minimize these risks and optimize outcomes for each patient. Our paper introduces the definition of personalized treatment, emphasizes the significance of intervention personalization, and outlines strategies for inter- and intra-patient personalization in chronic pain management. We also discuss empirical studies on personalized chronic pain treatment. Research has shown a variety of strategies for personalizing nonpharmacological and noninvasive chronic pain treatment. These strategies have demonstrated the potential to improve effectiveness. However, many critical scientific questions remain unanswered. To fully harness the potential of personalized nonpharmacological and noninvasive chronic pain treatment, future research should conduct robust clinical trials and meta-analyses comparing personalized and non-personalized chronic pain interventions, examine diverse personalization approaches, incorporate ecological momentary assessment into outcomes assessment, leverage digital technologies, engage patients in treatment design, and assess factors influencing the implementation of personalized chronic pain treatment.