Papers of the Week

Implantable device treatment may improve psychosocial and pain-specific outcomes. This paper reports outcomes following receipt of an implantable pain device in a population of military veterans. 120 veterans completed a pre-implantable pain device psychological evaluation of mood, anxiety, pain disability and intensity, cognition, functional goals, walking tolerance, substance use and sleep. Of those evaluated, 25/120 (20.8%) received a pain device in the 12 months following their evaluation and repeated the evaluation to assess changes. Veterans receiving pain devices endorsed significant improvements in pain intensity and pain disability. Pre-to-post-implant changes on psychosocial characteristics varied substantially. Veterans evaluated for implantable pain devices frequently endorsed symptoms of psychological distress and functional impairment and showed highly varied psychosocial changes with treatment.