Mindfulness and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: An Umbrella Review
Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare February 1, 2023 Paul Cardle, Saravana Kumar, M. Leach et al.
An umbrella review of 19 systematic reviews (covering 194 primary studies) found mixed evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Most reviews were rated critically low quality, and heterogeneity in definitions, intervention parameters, and outcome measures made comparisons difficult. Some promising results were identified, but no definitive conclusion could be reached about MBI's effects on pain, sleep quality, depression, quality of life, physical functioning, or mindfulness. The authors call for more rigorous research with standardized MBI protocols.