Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Pain Intensity in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Context: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most prominent cause of disability worldwide. For the treatment of CLBP, Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs) such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), mindfulness meditation (MM) are often used; however, their exact effect on pain intensity has not yet been determined for these people.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MBIs on pain intensity in people with CLBP. Data Sources: In this systematic review, all of the randomized controlled trials available on PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ProQuest databases from 2014 to 2020 were reviewed. This study is also the first review article in the field of chronic low back pain that reviews the databases of Google Scholar, Irandoc, and SID in Persian. Study Selection: Studies were included if they were: (1) RCT; (2) had patients with chronic low back pain; (3) made a comparison between MBIs and a passive comparator (usual care) or an active comparator (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or health education); (4) examined pain intensity.

Results: In the initial search, we found 297 trials in total databases. After removing duplicates and applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 RCT (totaling 959 patients) with CLBP were included for this systematic review.

Conclusions: MBIs are effective solutions for coping with CLBP, and their effects are maintained for a long time. No significant difference was found between the effectiveness of these treatments and CBT treatment on pain intensity of patients with CLBP.