Reductions in pain, pain-related bothersomeness with meditation versus exercise control
TUESDAY, March 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An eight-week jyoti meditation program is effective for patients with chronic neck pain, according to a study published in the January issue of The Journal of Pain.
Michael Jeitler, M.D., from the Charité-Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of an eight-week meditation program in patients with chronic neck pain. Participants had chronic neck pain, scored >40 mm on a 100-mm visual analog scale, and had concomitant increased perceived stress. The participants were randomly allocated to jyoti meditation with weekly 90-minute classes (45 participants) or to a home-based exercise program (44 participants).
The researchers found that after eight weeks, meditation training correlated with significantly reduced pain versus the exercise group (mean difference, 13.2 mm; P = 0.02). The meditation group had a greater decrease in pain-related bothersomeness (group difference, 11.0 mm; P = 0.03). There were no significant treatment effects noted for pain at motion, psychological scores, and quality of life; however, non-significantly greater improvements were reported in the meditation group versus the exercise group.
“Meditation may support chronic pain patients in pain reduction and pain coping,” the authors write. “Further well-designed studies, including more active control comparisons and longer-term follow-up, are warranted.”
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