Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to synthesize evidence on the efficacy and safety of mindfulness meditation interventions for treating chronic pain in adults.
Results Summary
The study found low-quality evidence that mindfulness meditation is associated with a small decrease in pain, with statistically significant effects for depression symptoms and quality of life. However, additional well-designed RCTs are needed for definitive efficacy estimates.
Population
Adults with chronic pain
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness meditation interventions | decrease | pain | adults with chronic pain | small | is associated with a small decrease | #1 |
mindfulness meditation | decrease | depression symptoms | adults with chronic pain | - | Statistically significant effects were also found for | #2 |
mindfulness meditation | increase | quality of life | adults with chronic pain | - | Statistically significant effects were also found for | #3 |
mindfulness meditation | decrease | pain | adults with chronic pain | - | improves | #4 |
mindfulness meditation | decrease | depression symptoms | adults with chronic pain | - | improves | #5 |
mindfulness meditation | increase | quality of life | adults with chronic pain | - | improves | #6 |
BACKGROUND: Chronic pain patients increasingly seek treatment through mindfulness meditation. PURPOSE: This study aims to synthesize evidence on efficacy and safety of mindfulness meditation interventions for the treatment of chronic pain in adults. METHOD: We conducted a systematic review on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with meta-analyses using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method for random-effects models. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Outcomes included pain, depression, quality of life, and analgesic use. RESULTS: Thirty-eight RCTs met inclusion criteria; seven reported on safety. We found low-quality evidence that mindfulness meditation is associated with a small decrease in pain compared with all types of controls in 30 RCTs. Statistically significant effects were also found for depression symptoms and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: While mindfulness meditation improves pain and depression symptoms and quality of life, additional well-designed, rigorous, and large-scale RCTs are needed to decisively provide estimates of the efficacy of mindfulness meditation for chronic pain.