NCT03324659

Meditation and Exercise to Treat Chronic Back Pain

Combined Meditation and Exercise as a Treatment for Patients With Chronic Back Pain

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 42 (actual)
• Sponsor: Duquesne University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study evaluates the analgesic effect of a combination treatment of exercise and mindfulness based meditation in patients with chronic back pain. Half of the participants will partake in a 4-week exercise and meditation intervention, while the other half will receive a placebo treatment. The investigators hypothesize that a combination treatment reduces disability and pain more than the control intervention.

Detailed description

Exercise and mindfulness based mediation can both produce analgesic effects in patients with chronic pain, but the mechanisms are not clear. Combining treatments could produce analgesic effects that are additive, synergistic, or counteractive to each other. Here, the investigators examine the effects of a 4-week intervention in patients with chronic low back pain. Patients are assigned to a meditation/exercise group or a control group. The investigators will measure pain and disability using a variety of tools including surveys (disability, anxiety, mindfulness, and pain), pain VAS scales, and quantitative sensory testing.

Conditions

• Chronic Low Back Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Exercise and Meditation	The Exercise and Meditation group will listen to recorded meditations (15 minutes) that are based on mindfulness. They will then walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a moderate intensity. The intervention is completed five days per week for four weeks.
BEHAVIORAL	Control	The Control group will listen to a recorded audio book for 15 minutes, They will then sit quietly for 30 minutes. The intervention is completed five days per week for four weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-01-26
• Primary completion: 2019-03-31
• Completion: 2019-06-30
• First posted: 2017-10-30
• Last updated: 2021-04-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States