United States: People suffering from low back pain can succeed at mental pain management, demonstrated in the new clinical trial.
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Research results published in JAMA Network Open demonstrate that mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) both effectively reduce pain symptoms in patients suffering from chronic back pain.
Patients used the effective treatments to such an extent that their opioid painkiller consumption decreased, according to research findings.
According to the senior researcher Eric Garland, a professor of health sciences and psychology at the University of California-San Diego, “These therapies aren’t a total cure, but they teach people how to develop the inner resources they need to cope with chronic pain and to live a better life,” US News reported.
Current research identified this study as the biggest investigation measuring the effectiveness of mindfulness treatment and CBT against opioid-dependent chronic pain.
The clinical study attracted 770 adults who received treatment for their lower back pain at locations in both Boston and Wisconsin.; Madison. Boston, and Salt Lake City.
Furthermore, as per the co-lead researcher Dr. Bruce Barrett, professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “The people in this study had quite severe back pain that interfered with their life and was bad enough to need opioid medication. Usually, in that condition, people don’t really get better over time on their own,” US News reported.
A research study used random assignment to divide patients between receiving mindfulness therapy sessions and CBT group therapy sessions over eight weeks.
The mindfulness therapy taught participants to recognize bodily sensations, which granted them better competency in managing both their pain responses and other symptoms, according to investigators.
The CBT group members learned strategies to transform negative behavioral patterns and thinking patterns that underlie the manifestation of back pain.
“Mindfulness is a self-regulated tool that comes from within, unlike surgery or medication where something is being done to you from the outside,” as Garland stated.
“By learning these techniques, patients continue to experience lasting benefits,” he continued.