Loving-kindness meditation for chronic low back pain: results from a pilot trial.
James W Carson, Francis J Keefe, Thomas R Lynch, Kimberly M Carson, Veeraindar Goli, Anne Marie Fras, Steven R Thorp
Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association September 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1177/0898010105277651 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAn 8-week loving-kindness meditation program reduced pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with chronic low back pain. In a pilot study, 43 participants were randomly assigned to the meditation program or standard care. Those in the loving-kindness group showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress at post-treatment and follow-up, while the usual care group showed no changes. Daily data indicated that more practice on a given day was linked to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day. The results suggest the program can be beneficial for managing persistent low back pain.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Patients with chronic low back pain |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, follow-up period not specified |
| Key finding | An 8-week loving-kindness meditation program reduced pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with chronic low back pain. |
Abstract
Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients. Patients (N = 43) were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care. Standardized measures assessed patients' pain, anger, and psychological distress. Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group, but no changes in the usual care group. Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day. Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain. Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain.