Meditation as an Adjunct to the Management of Acute Pain.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the current understanding and evidence for mindfulness meditation in managing acute pain and its potential integration into acute pain service practice.
Results Summary
The study found conflicting evidence on meditation's effectiveness for acute pain, with some studies highlighting its impact on emotional response rather than pain intensity reduction. Functional MRI identified brain areas involved in meditation-induced pain relief, suggesting potential benefits through neurocognitive changes.
Population
Not specified (general acute pain context)
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
meditation | increase | emotional response to a painful stimulus | - | - | found a bigger impact | #1 |
meditation | decrease | actual pain intensities | - | - | reduction | #2 |
meditation | decrease | pain | - | - | pain relief | #3 |
meditation | neutral | neurocognitive processes | - | - | changes | #4 |
meditation | neutral | pain modulation | - | - | induce | #5 |
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We aim to present current understanding and evidence for meditation, mostly referring to mindfulness meditation, for the management of acute pain and potential opportunities of incorporating it into the acute pain service practice. RECENT FINDINGS: There is conflicting evidence concerning meditation as a remedy in acute pain. While some studies have found a bigger impact of meditation on the emotional response to a painful stimulus than on the reduction in actual pain intensities, functional Magnet Resonance Imaging has enabled the identification of various brain areas involved in meditation-induced pain relief. Potential benefits of meditation in acute pain treatment include changes in neurocognitive processes. Practice and Experience are necessary to induce pain modulation. In the treatment of acute pain, evidence is emerging only recently. Meditative techniques represent a promising approach for acute pain in various settings.