By In recent years, we have heard a lot about mindfulness, as many people begin to understand more about what it is and the health benefits it can provide. Despite it seeming new to us, it’s actually something that has been around for a long time, having Buddhist traditional roots. Now, new research suggests that being more mindful may even be a tool you can use to help reduce back pain.
In the February 2016 issue of the journal Brain and Behavior, researchers studied to see if mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), was helpful in reducing back pain. The study participants engaged in a 4-week MBSR program that offered weekly training. Most traditional MBSR programs are eight weeks in length, but they tested an abbreviated version to see if there was any improvement in the study participants, each of whom suffered from chronic back pain (1).
What they report is that MBSR helps to reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and pain. Participants who engaged in MBSR had a significant improvement in back pain, as well as depression symptoms. Participants felt benefits even with the shorter program, as MBSR not only improved the back pain, but it also helped regulate emotional awareness.
MBSR is the practice of being more aware and focusing on the mind-body connection. Engaging in the practice of it involves things such as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and body awareness. Those who practice it usually learn to have a better understanding of their emotions and how they interact with the body. The practice also helps the person to recognize feelings, such as the chronic pain, but to better cope with it by being more aware of how their thoughts about the pain may help or hinder what they are experiencing.
Those who are interested in trying a more mindfulness-based approach to reducing their chronic pain will find that there are numerous 8-week courses offered at places like universities and health centers. There are also books available on the practice, outlining the various ways that one can incorporate MBSR into their lives as an effective complementary approach to helping with a variety of issues, including chronic pain. Turns out, being more mindful may just be what the doctor ordered!
Sources:
Brain and Behavior. 2016 Feb 16:e0044.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26925304
