Could mindfulness be effective in treating lower back pain?

A new study has compared mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with usual care and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for long-term non-specific back pain.

For the study, which was carried out by researchers from the Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington, US, participants were split into three groups and allocated to either MBSR or CBT were given eight weekly training sessions. Follow-up was performed after six months and 12 months.

At both of these time points, MBSR significantly improved functional disability and pain compared with usual care – but not when compared with CBT. Both MBSR and CBT were as effective as each other.

The study, which was published in JAMA, did not compare these therapies with painkillers nor do the findings suggest that people with identified causes of their back pain, such as slipped disc or inflammatory disease, will find the pain simply goes away with meditation.

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