The effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on pain perceptions in patients with chronic pelvic pain: A case series.
Lindsay E Clark Donat, Jennifer Reynolds, Margaret H. Bublitz, Ellen Flynn, Lauri Friedman, Sarah D Fox
Case reports in women's health January 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.crwh.2021.e00380 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Women with chronic pelvic pain undergoing pelvic-floor physical therapy |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based meditation program |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Case series Chronic pain Pain catastrophizing |
| Key findings | In ten women with chronic pelvic pain who completed an 8-week mindfulness-based program integrated into physical therapy visits, pain catastrophizing decreased significantly from baseline to 8 weeks, whereas it increased among those who withdrew. The authors propose that such brief mindfulness exercises may be a useful complementary treatment for chronic pelvic pain. |
Abstract
Chronic pelvic pain affects 15-20% of women, and patients frequently do not find relief with first-line therapies. Mindfulness-based meditation programs are effective in improving outcomes for patients with chronic pain conditions, but limited data exists for patients with chronic pelvic pain. We describe the effect of a brief mindfulness-based program, incorporated into pelvic-floor physical therapy visits, on perceived pain in patients with chronic pelvic pain. Patients being treated for pelvic pain participated in this 8-week program. Pelvic-floor physical therapists delivered a brief mindfulness-based exercise during routine physical therapy visits. Patients reported pain scores and pain catastrophizing scores at the beginning and end of the program. Ten patients completed the program. Paired-samples t-tests showed that pain catastrophizing significantly decreased from baseline to 8 weeks in patients who completed the mindfulness training and increased among patients who withdrew. Mindfulness-based exercises may be a useful complementary therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Acute and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine March 1, 2019
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Military Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Feasibility Study. Military Medicine September 2016
- The effects of brief mindfulness meditation training on experimentally induced pain. Journal of Pain March 2010