Meditation as a Useful Chance for Chronic Pain Decrease
S. Coaccioli, G. Varrassi, R. Giorno, M. Pace, P. Sansone, D. Angelucci, A. Paladini, Fiorenzo Moscatelli, A. Messina, V. Monda, G. Messina, M. Monda, C. Aurilio
May 31, 2016 DOI: 10.4172/2378-5756.1000369 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn a cohort of 60 subjects from Thailand living in Italy who follow only complementary medicine, those with chronic knee and low back pain due to osteoarthritis were divided into experts (>10 years of meditation) and lower experts (<3 years). Among 28 subjects reporting chronic pain, the mean baseline pain score was 5.1 on a visual analogue scale. After five consecutive days of meditation, experts showed a significant pain reduction to 3.0, while lower experts did not show a significant decrease. The authors conclude that meditation should be recommended as a nonpharmacological approach for chronic pain.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Subjects from Thailand living in Italy with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of the knees and low back pain, following only complementary medicine |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | 5 consecutive days |
| Keywords | Medicine |
| Key finding | Meditation experts with >10 years of practice reported a significant decrease in pain after five consecutive days of meditation, whereas those with <3 years of practice did not show a significant reduction. |
Abstract
Study background: The aim of this study was the investigation the role of meditation in a cohort of Italy resident subjects coming from Thailand, following only complementary medicine. Methods: The cohort of subjects has been examined (60 subjects) by the visual analogue scale (VAS) scale for pain measurement. The subjects have been divided in two groups: experts (>10 years) and Lower experts in meditation (<3 years). All the subjects were affected by chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of the knees and low back pain. Results: 28 subjects with chronic pain reported a mean basal VAS of 5.1 ± 1.8. After 5 consecutive days of meditation, the expert in meditation reported a significant pain decreasing (p<0.01) (VAS 3.0 ± 0.5) compared to the basal evaluation, while the lower experts in meditation reported a not significant decreasing of pain. Conclusions: Meditation is nowadays a practice that should be highly recommended within a nonpharmacological approach for chronic pain therapy. This study it is further evidence that meditation might be a valuable strategy for chronic pain patients.