Mindfulness Meditation Effects on Poststroke Spasticity: A Feasibility Study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to assess the feasibility of a 2-week adapted mindfulness meditation protocol for chronic stroke survivors and explore its preliminary effects on spasticity and quality of life.
Results Summary
Participants reported meditating an average of 12.5 days out of 15, with no adverse effects. Preliminary analyses showed statistically significant improvements in spasticity, though qualitative data was limited to 7 out of 10 participants.
Population
Chronic stroke survivors with spasticity.
Effective Dosage
Short mindfulness meditation recordings (adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course), frequency not specified.
Duration
2 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2-week mindfulness meditation protocol | neutral | feasibility | chronic stroke survivors | - | feasibility examined | #1 |
adapted mindfulness meditation intervention | neutral | spasticity | individuals after stroke | - | preliminary effects explored | #2 |
adapted mindfulness meditation intervention | neutral | quality of life | individuals after stroke | - | preliminary effects explored | #3 |
2 weeks of short mindfulness meditation recordings | neutral | meditation adherence | chronic stroke survivors with spasticity | 12.5 days of the full 15 days | participants reported meditating | #4 |
2 weeks of short mindfulness meditation recordings | no change | adverse effects | chronic stroke survivors with spasticity | no adverse effects | no adverse effects | #5 |
adapted mindfulness meditation intervention | decrease | spasticity | chronic stroke survivors with spasticity | - | statistically significant improvements | #6 |
This study examined the feasibility of an adapted 2-week mindfulness meditation protocol for chronic stroke survivors. In addition, preliminary effects of this adapted intervention on spasticity and quality of life in individuals after stroke were explored. Ten chronic stroke survivors with spasticity listened to 2 weeks of short mindfulness meditation recordings, adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course, in a pre/post repeated measures design. Measures of spasticity, quality of life, mindfulness, and anxiety, along with qualitative data from participants' daily journals, were assessed. On average, participants reported meditating 12.5 days of the full 15 days (mean 12.5 days, SD 0.94, range 8-15 days). Seven of the 10 participants wrote comments in their journals. In addition, there were no adverse effects due to the intervention. Exploratory preliminary analyses also showed statistically significant improvements in spasticity in both the elbow (