IMPORTANCE Chronic low back pain (CLBP), the most prevalent chronic pain condition, imparts substantial disability and discomfort. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces the effect of CLBP, but access is limited.OBJECTIVE To determine whether a single class in evidence-based pain management skills (empowered relief) is noninferior to 8-session CBT and superior to health education at 3 months after treatment for improving pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, pain interference, and other secondary outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This 3-arm randomized clinical trial collected data fromMay 24, 2017, to March 3, 2020. Participants included individuals in the community with selfreported CLBP for 6 months or more and an average pain intensity of at least 4 (range, 0-10, with 10 indicating worst pain imaginable). Data were analyzed using intention-to-treat and per-protocol approaches.Author affiliations and article information are listed at the end of this article.

Collaborative on Countering the US Opioid Epidemic [8] has been focusing on comprehensive and collaborative efforts to fundamentally address the opioid epidemic crisis. All of these major initiatives emphasize pain education as a key component in the fight against the dual crises of chronic pain and the opioid epidemic. I am honored to represent the AAPM on the HHS Pain Management Task Force and the NAM Action Collaborative and contribute to these important initiatives of our nation on your behalf.

Cumulative childhood adverse events may be a more relevant risk factor for chronic pain conditions than the experience of a specific type of adverse event. Clinicians and researchers need to evaluate cumulative childhood adversity when assessing its link to chronic pain.

These findings suggest that enhancement of central sensitization may provide a mechanism underlying the pain hypersensitivity and chronicity linked to childhood adversity.

This study shows that women reporting more stressful life events show a larger area of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia. These preliminary findings suggest that life stressors may facilitate pain processing by enhancing central sensitization.