Mindfulness Intervention for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

Aims: This systematic review was performed to find the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for outcomes such as pain, physical function, and cost-effectiveness in Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) patients. Methods: Articles published in peer-reviewed journals till February 2019, were used through searches of three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science). Keywords including mindfulness, mindfulness-based intervention, mindfulness meditation and CLBP were used in search strategy. At last, a total of 8 articles were included in the final analysis. Findings: All included studied studies were high qualified by which physical function was being measured as their outcome. The Short-Form Health Survey was the most frequently used measure of physical function in the studies. Anxiety and depression were as secondary outcomes in four of eight studies. The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) method was the main intervention that was used in the studies. Most of the studies utilized at least six sessions and 2 hours (30 minutes for each session) weekly. Sessions were managed by experienced person in MBSR field. Five out of eight studies approved MBSR fop pain improvement compared to usual cares. Conclusion: This study supported the strategy of applying non-pharmacological therapies for CLBP which are effective in managing pain among adults. However doing more researches to evaluate the persistent long effects of this therapy and its cost-effectiveness in comparison to medications is strongly recommended.