Among mind-body therapies, there is evidence for an association between pain reduction and mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation provides a potentially safe, effective, nonpharmacologic, noninvasive, simple method for pain relief and increased function that could be used for the frailest older adult. This experimental study is designed as a randomized, education controlled clinical trial of a mind-body program for older adults with chronic low back pain. A sample of 300 independent, community-dwelling adults 65 years of age and older will be recruited. After determining eligibility, study participants will give written informed consent and will be randomized to either the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program or the health education control program. Participants in the mind-body group will receive the intervention of eight weekly 90-minute mindfulness meditation sessions that are modeled on the MBSR program. Controls will receive an 8-week health education program based on the 10 Keys(TM) to Healthy Aging. After completion of the 8-week program, participants in both programs will be asked to return for 12 monthly booster sessions. Prior to initiating the program, immediately after the last program session, and 6 & 12 months later, the following parameters will be assessed: (1) physical function, (2) pain severity, (3) neuropsychological performance, (4) measures of mindfulness, (5) demographic factors, and (6) biomedical factors.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a mind-body program in increasing function and reducing pain among older adults with chronic low back pain