Mindfulness in Facilitating Pelvic Floor Botulinum Toxin Injection in Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain
J. Aredo, H. Tandon, S. Panahi, V. Phan, R. Ameli, B. I. Karp, P. Stratton
Toxins May 1, 2024 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16050216 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 8 |
| Population | Women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain enrolled in a clinical trial of botulinum toxin injection |
| Intervention | Botulinum toxin |
| Measures | 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Among eight women offered a brief guided mindfulness session around transvaginal botulinum toxin injection, all six who had a pre-injection session reported at least moderate anxiety that decreased afterward (median −3.3/10), and all three reporting injection-associated pain had less pain after a post-injection session (median −3/10). Three women with dysphoria also improved (median −3/10). The authors suggest mindfulness may improve tolerability of the procedure. |
Abstract
Botulinum toxin (BoNT) injection can safely be done as an office-based procedure, but can be painful itself, especially when injecting pelvic floor muscles to treat chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Mindfulness interventions may reduce procedure-associated acute anxiety and pain. We applied mindfulness techniques to increase the tolerability of office-based pelvic floor BoNT injections in women with CPP. Women enrolled in a clinical trial of BoNT for endometriosis-associated CPP were offered a brief, guided mindfulness session before and/or after transvaginal injection. Anxiety, pain, and dysphoria were rated on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS) before and after each mindfulness session. Eight women underwent mindfulness sessions. Five participants had a session before and two after the transvaginal injection. One participant had two sessions: one before and one after separate injections. All six women completing a session prior to injection had at least moderate anxiety, which lessened after the mindfulness session (median NRS change: −3.3/10). All three women reporting injection-associated pain experienced less intense pain following the post-injection session (median NRS change: −3/10). Three women experiencing dysphoria improved after the session (median NRS change: −3/10). A brief, guided mindfulness session may lessen acute pain, anxiety, and dysphoria associated with office-based transvaginal BoNT injection.
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 12
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- The effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on pain perceptions in patients with chronic pelvic pain: A case series. Case reports in women's health January 2022
- To be mindful of the breath or pain: Comparing two brief preoperative mindfulness techniques for total joint arthroplasty patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 24, 2021
- A randomised trial comparing a brief online delivery of mindfulness-plus-values versus values only for symptoms of depression: Does baseline severity matter? Journal of Affective Disorders July 21, 2020
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Mindfulness Meditation for Women Undergoing Stereotactic Breast Biopsy. Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR May 2019
and 7 more in the library