Review finds modest benefits from mindfulness meditation for chronic pain

Research details

The review included 38 randomized controlled trials involving adults with chronic pain.

It found low-quality evidence of a small reduction in pain compared with control conditions.

The studies reported statistically significant improvements in depression symptoms and quality of life.

Only seven trials reported on safety, so safety information was limited.

The authors said larger, better-designed studies are needed for more reliable conclusions.

Teaser

A review of 38 randomized trials found a small reduction in pain, along with improvements in depression symptoms and quality of life—but the evidence remains limited.

Plain Summary

A systematic review published in the *Annals of Behavioral Medicine* in April 2017 examined whether mindfulness meditation may help adults living with chronic pain. The researchers combined findings from 38 randomized controlled trials—studies in which people are assigned by chance to different groups—to compare mindfulness meditation with control conditions.

Overall, the review found low-quality evidence of a small reduction in pain. In everyday terms, people taking part in mindfulness meditation appeared to report slightly less pain than those in comparison groups, but the result is not strong enough to provide a precise or dependable estimate of how much benefit people can expect. The evidence quality matters: results from further, better-designed studies could differ.

The review also reported statistically significant improvements in symptoms of depression and in quality of life. “Statistically significant” means the difference was unlikely to be explained by chance alone within the study analysis. It does not mean that every participant improved, that the improvement was large, or that mindfulness meditation caused all of the changes. The supplied research summary does not provide enough detail here to describe the size or reliability of these improvements in the same way as the pain finding.

This was research specifically on mindfulness meditation, rather than on every form of meditation. The studies involved adults with chronic pain, so the findings should not automatically be applied to people without chronic pain or to other meditation practices. The review also considered analgesic use, but the available summary does not report a clear result for that outcome. Only seven of the included trials reported on safety, so information about possible harms was limited.

The authors concluded that larger and better-designed trials are needed. This means the review offers a cautious indication—not a guarantee—that mindfulness meditation may be helpful for some adults with chronic pain, mood symptoms, or quality-of-life concerns. It should be understood as a possible supportive approach, not as a proven cure or replacement for individual medical care.

Practical Takeaway

This review suggests that mindfulness meditation may offer a small amount of pain relief for some adults with chronic pain, and may also be linked with better mood and quality of life. However, the evidence for pain reduction was low quality, and the review could not establish how much improvement people should expect. Safety reporting was limited, and only seven studies included safety information. These findings apply specifically to mindfulness meditation and should not be assumed to represent every meditation practice. Overall, meditation may be worth discussing as a supportive option, while recognising that more rigorous research is still needed.