Try mindfulness meditation for chronic back pain

“Since effective treatments for chronic lower back pain are limited, complementary medical therapies are a welcome addition to conventional treatments,” said lead investigator Natalia Morone, MD, associate professor of medicine, Pitt School of Medicine.

Mindfulness meditation is a mind-body method described as paying attention on purpose and staying in the present moment to experience each unfolding event.

The study, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine assessed the effects of mindfulness on 282 adults age 65 and older who experienced chronic lower back pain daily or almost every day.

Active meditation versus passive learning

Participants were taught three mindfulness meditation methods which they practiced alone and in group sessions for eight weeks:

• self-examination in which the participant lays down and focuses attention non-judgmentally on each area of the body
• sitting practice, which focuses on breathing while seated
• walking meditation, which is mindful, slow walking with focused attention on how the body feels

Those in the meditation group were compared to another group who were simply instructed on the principles of healthy ageing.

Participants were assessed on measures of pain, physical function, self-efficacy and quality of life before the program began, at the end of the program and at a six-month follow-up.

Long term benefits

The study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that the mind-body program helped with pain management even six months after the programme ended, indicating there is a long-term benefit on coping with pain.

Although researchers say the longer-term improvement was not ‘significant’, nevertheless after six-months, 76% of participants still noted improvement in their back pain symptoms and their ability to cope with pain as a result of the mind-body program.

“Mindfulness meditation focuses on letting go of struggle and accepting one’s condition without judgement,” said Dr. Morone. “The mind-body program teaches patients how to be more aware of their thoughts, emotions, sensations and behaviouurs. As patients learn to do this, they can become more aware of behaviours or even thoughts and feelings about pain that make it worse, or more difficult for them to do activities.”