Mindfulness Meditation for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Quasi-randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Cesare Lino, Stefan Neuwersch-Sommeregger, R. Likar, P. de Bartolo
December 8, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1123107/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-randomized case-control study Pilot study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Patients with chronic low back pain |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Pain Therapy (MBPT) |
| Duration | 4-week training, 5 times/week |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Adding MBPT to multimodal pain therapy significantly improved pain, quality of life, disability, depression, and pain catastrophizing compared to standard therapy alone. |
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Pain Therapy (MBPT) a treatment combining mindfulness meditation and several interventions taken from cognitive therapy within the frame of the multimodal pain therapy program, in patients suffering from chronic low back pain (CLBP).Design: A quasi-randomized case-control study. Subjects: The study included 20 subjects with chronic low back pain were recruited and quasi-randomly allocated to a standard multimodal pain therapy (n=10) or to a multimodal pain therapy group with MBPT (n=10). The intervention was identical for both groups except for the mindfulness meditation program.Methods. Both groups participated in a 4-week training, 5 times/week. All subjects underwent the same measurement protocol before and after the intervention. The program was evaluated on the basis of measure of pain, quality of life, disability, pain catastrophizing and depression.
Results: The trial group displayed significant reduction in pain intensity, improvement in the quality of life, reduction in pain disability, in depression and pain catastrophizing.
Conclusion: The study indicated that mindfulness meditation can influence the treatments and lead to a significant improvement in the overall result of the multimodal pain therapy.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2002
- “I Learned to Let Go of My Pain”. The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Adolescents with Chronic Pain: An Analysis of Participants’ Treatment Experience Children December 15, 2017
- Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Annals of Behavioral Medicine September 22, 2016
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur March 1, 2014
- Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: a preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology September 1, 2013
and 2 more in the library