Mindfulness Meditation Offers Relief For Back Pain

People all around the world are coming to terms with the many benefits that meditation offers. Mindfulness in particular has gone from temples to research labs and businesses. The most common reason for partaking is to ease a scattered and distracted mind?this productivity laden society has us constantly trying to do more, which can wreak havoc on our ability to be ‘in the moment.’

The benefits range from improving our ability to focus, reducing stress and anxiety, clearing our head from emotional reactions and biases thought patterns. Now, a new study has linked mindful meditation to reduced back pain:

Though pain intensity and some mental health measures improved in both groups, those using CBT did not see improvement beyond 26 weeks. Those using MBSR, however, continued to see improvement at 52 weeks, leading researchers to conclude MBSR may be an effective treatment for chronic low-back pain.

?It is vital that we identify effective non-pharmacological treatment options for 25 million people who suffer from daily pain in the United States,? said Josephine Briggs, M.D., director of NCCIH. ?The results from this research affirm that non-drug/non-opioid therapies, such as meditation, can help manage chronic low-back pain. Physicians and their patients can use this information to inform treatment decisions.?

Science is still created a full picture of meditation, but so far it’s looking like an activity that we should all be giving a shot. Check out the full post for more.