Does mindfulness meditation improve chronic pain? A systematic review
Elizabeth F. Ball, Emira Nur Shafina Muhammad Sharizan, Genny Franklin, Ewelina Rogozińska
Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology December 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1097/gco.0000000000000417 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People with chronic pain |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation significantly reduced depression and improved quality of life in people with chronic pain. |
Abstract
Purpose of review Psychological factors are associated with chronic pain. Mindfulness meditation may ameliorate symptoms. The objective was to evaluate the effects of mindfulness meditation in chronic pain. Recent findings A systematic search of four databases identified 534 citations; 13 Randomised controlled trials satisfied the inclusion criteria. Mindfulness meditation significantly reduced depression [Standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.53, −0.03; P = 0.03; I 2 = 0%]. For affective pain (SMD −0.13; 95% CI −0.42, 0.16; I 2 = 0%), sensory pain (SMD −0.02; 95% CI −0.31, 0.27; I 2 = 0%) and anxiety (SMD −0.16; 95% CI −0.47, 0.15; I 2 = 0%) there was a trend towards benefit with intervention. Quality of life items on mental health (SMD 0.65; 95% CI −0.27, 1.58; I 2 = 69%), physical health (SMD 0.08; 95% CI −0.40, 0.56; I 2 = 32%) and overall score (SMD 0.86, 95% CI −0.06, 1.78; I 2 = 88%) improved with mindfulness meditation. Summary Mindfulness meditation has most prominent effect on psychological aspects on living with chronic pain, improving associated depression and quality of life.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- Mindfulness in migraine: A narrative review Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics January 14, 2020
- Which type and dosage of mindfulness-based interventions are most effective for chronic pain? A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research April 1, 2025
- Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reduces pain and psychological distress, and improves equanimity, hope and post-traumatic growth during breast cancer treatment: A pilot randomized controlled trial. European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society June 1, 2025
- Virtual Reality Combined with Mind-Body Therapies for the Management of Pain: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 2024
- Mindfulness meditation use in chronic pain treatment in rural Australia: Pitfalls and potential - A case report. Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice 2023
and 33 more in the library
Cites 22
- Stress Reduction through Mindfulness Meditation Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010
- Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized controlled pilot study ☆ Pain June 4, 2007
- Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: Results of a randomized clinical trial Arthritis Care & Research January 31, 2007
- Effect of Mindfulness‐Based stress reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients Arthritis Care & Research September 28, 2007
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a novel treatment for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. International urogynecology journal November 2016
and 17 more in the library