Evaluation of mindfulness-based interventions for pain, anxiety, and depression in spinal cord injury patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Alison Reilly, Ahmad Sharif, Ojas Bhagra, Asimina Dominari, Konstantinos Katsos, Karim R Nathani, Sarah E Johnson, Mohamad Bydon
Clinical neurology and neurosurgery April 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2025.108839 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 419 |
| Population | People with spinal cord injury |
| Interventions | yoga mental imagery biofeedback mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based interventions Pain Spinal cord injury |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduced pain scores on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale compared to control groups, but did not significantly reduce anxiety or depression. |
Abstract
Rehabilitative measures following spinal cord injury (SCI) typically fail to mitigate the psychological symptoms that might heighten pain levels. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been proposed to address such concerns. We aim to review the literature on MBI used for pain, anxiety, and depression in SCI. A systematic literature search for studies using MBI in patients with pain and psychological symptoms following SCI was conducted. Primary outcomes were pain, assessed by Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPR) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), anxiety, and depression, assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Secondary outcomes included stress and quality of life, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO-QOL). Only comparative studies were included. Seven studies (n = 419) were included pertaining to yoga, mental imagery, biofeedback, and mindfulness meditation. Five studies (n = 260) reported NPR pain. The mean post-treatment difference comparing the control and MBI groups was -1.26 (95 %CI: [-2.44; -0.07]), with MBI showing significant pain reduction (p = 0.04). The intergroup difference was not significant but trended favoring treatment. Three studies included HADS (n = 282) and BPI (n = 203), with neither reaching significance in post-treatment comparisons, but showing improvements favoring MBI for both. Further, changes for MBI groups revealed marginal mood benefits. Secondary outcomes were not statistically analyzed. A significant difference was observed regarding NPR post-treatment scores. The results of this study trend positively towards the treatment groups, showing possible benefits in utilizing MBI for patients with SCI suffering from pain and psychological concerns.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Mindfulness-based pain management for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomized controlled trial Frontiers in Medicine September 28, 2026
- Development and effectiveness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for individuals with spinal cord injury: Changes in quality of life and inflammatory biomarkers. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine June 4, 2026
Cites 3
- Pilot clinical trial of a clinical meditation and imagery intervention for chronic pain after spinal cord injury. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine May 1, 2022
- Mindfulness for pain, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in people with spinal cord injury: a systematic review BMC Neurology January 21, 2020
- Internet-delivered mindfulness for people with depression and chronic pain following spinal cord injury: a randomized, controlled feasibility trial. Spinal cord August 2018