Application of Cognitive Functions in a Board Game as a Therapeutic Protocol for Acute Nociceptive Pain

Abstract

Pain is a condition that has been growing more and more in recent years, due to this, alternative treatments are being sought that can benefit these patients, the protocol described in this research is a board game that involves the components of the theory of "flow" to be entertaining. Seeking to stimulate cognitive functions to reduce pain and improve the emotional well-being of patients. The game contains different activities that seek to exercise the cognitive functions of attention, working memory and executive functions. The population that was selected to test the protocol were adults diagnosed with acute nociceptive pain, who participated in the use of the protocol three times a week in 20-minute sessions for four weeks. The patients were evaluated before and after using the app, the results of the research showed an average reduction of 30% in pain perception and a 36% decrease in anxiety. These findings highlight the protocol's potential to improve both patients' emotional and physical state. Its low cost makes it a viable alternative for pain treatment in resource-limited settings. It is recommended to adapt this protocol to other populations and types of pain, such as chronic or neuropathic pain, and to carry out additional studies to evaluate its long-term effectiveness and in different contexts. These results suggest that these types of solutions may be a viable tool for pain management in multiple clinical scenarios.