maryam keyvanipour

To determine the effects of a bioenergy economy program on the severity of symptoms and quality of life of patients with myofascial pain syndrome

In this randomized clinical-trial, 30 patients with myofascial pain syndrome were assigned to two groups. Patients in the case group participated in a bioenergy economy program for 6 sessions. The data collection tools were the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the WHO Quality of Life -BREF Questionnaire. In addition, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were also applied to patients in both groups. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analysis of the changes between the two groups.

According to the analysis, the test of between-subject effect was not significant for pain, QOL, anxiety, and depression (p-value>0.05 for all variables) while the results of the test of within-subject effect were significant (p-value<0.05 for all variables). The effect of the time-group interaction was not significant for pain (P=0.139) and QOL (P=0.169) while it was significant for anxiety (P<0.001) and depression (P=0.026). The mean scores of anxiety and depression decreased during the measurement times in both groups although the decrease was more prominent in the intervention group.

The bioenergy economy program can effectively decrease the pain intensity, depression, and anxiety and improve the quality of life of patients with myofascial pain syndrome. This program can reduce the patients’ distress through modifying attention bias and improving the self-efficacy and acceptance in these patients.

According to scientific evidence, high levels of sensitivity anxiety are one of the predictors of panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. The multidimensional anxiety sensitivity (cognitive, social, and physiological) is base on cognitive biases such as attention biases which are due to selecting threatening stimuli instead of neutral or positive stimuli. Despite the initial promise, attention bias modification (ABM) has a limited effect on reducing anxiety. This study aims to modify attention bias by reducing the focus on the threatening stimuli based on Bioenergy Economy (BEE) protocol; as an integrated model of care.

The present study is base on a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test and follow-up in both groups. Thirty women between the ages of 23 to 50 selected from the patients referred to Bozorgmehr Neurology clinic in Mashhad. People who scored more than 70 in anxiety test, were randomly put into the experimental and control groups. The data collection tool was dot-probe test. The experimental group participated in the entire BEE protocol.

The mean score sensitivity anxiety of the experimental group in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up was significantly lower than those in the control group by using multivariate analysis of covariance. Also, the mean score of the experimental group in dot-probe test, neutral reaction time, emotional response time, and interference score in the post-test phase, as well as the components of dull reaction time and sensitive response time in the follow-up and post-test were significantly lower than the control group.

The BEE protocol is effective in ABM and reducing high sensitivity anxiety.