Integrated Meditation and Exercise Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot of a Combined Nonpharmacological Intervention Focused on Reducing Disability and Pain in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.
Anna M. Polaski, A. Phelps, Thomas J. Smith, Eric R. Helm, Natalia E. Morone, Kimberly A. Szucs, Matthew C. Kostek, Benedict J. Kolber
Pain Medicine February 23, 2021 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnaa403 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 38 |
| Population | Adults with chronic low back pain |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Aerobic walking exercise |
| Duration | 4-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | MedExT produced suggestive between-group trends for disability (not statistically significant), significant between-group improvements in low back pain intensity and unpleasantness, and significant within-group increases in mindfulness over 4 weeks. |
Abstract
Objective: This pilot trial examined the effects of a combined intervention of mindfulness meditation followed by aerobic walking exercise compared with a control condition in chronic low back pain patients. We hypothesized that meditation before exercise would reduce disability, pain, and anxiety by increasing mindfulness prior to physical activity compared with an audiobook control group.
Participants: Thirty-eight adults completed either meditation and exercise treatment (MedExT) (n=18) or an audiobook control condition (n=20).
Setting: Duquesne University Exercise Physiology Laboratory.
Design: A pilot, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial.
Methods: Over a 4-week period, participants in the MedExT group performed 12-17 minutes of guided meditation followed by 30 minutes of moderate-intensity walking exercise 5 days per week. Measures of disability, pain, mindfulness, and anxiety were taken at baseline and postintervention. Pain perception measurements were taken daily.
Results: Compared with the control group, we observed larger improvements in disability in the MedExT intervention, although the changes were modest and not statistically significant (mean between-group difference, -1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], -3.1 to 0.6). For secondary outcome measures, MedExT increased mindfulness (within-group) from pre-intervention to postintervention (P=0.0141). Additionally, mean ratings of low back pain intensity and unpleasantness significantly improved with time for the MedExT group compared with that of the control group, respectively (intensity P=0.0008; unpleasantness P=0.0022). CONCLUSION . Overall, 4 weeks of MedExT produced suggestive between-group trends for disability, significant between-group differences for measures of pain, and significant within-group increases in mindfulness.
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
Cited by 5
- Mindfulness improves psychological health and supports health behaviour cognitions: Evidence from a pragmatic RCT of a digital mindfulness-based intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology November 1, 2024
- Enhancing Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Management: A Systematic Review of Mindfulness Therapies and Guided Imagery Interventions. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) April 23, 2024
- Do scientists still believe in mindfulness meditation for pain therapy? a bibliometric analysis regarding meditation trends for therapy from 1946 To 2022 Bali Medical Journal May 10, 2023
- The Combined Effect of Mindfulness and Physical Activity on Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Behavioral Sciences September 11, 2026
- Meditation-Based Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pain Medicine September 30, 2022
Cites 17
- Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized controlled pilot study ☆ Pain June 4, 2007
- Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention Reduces Pain Severity and Sensitivity in Opioid-Treated Chronic Low Back Pain: Pilot Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial Pain Medicine March 10, 2016
and 12 more in the library