Chronic pain is a cycle affecting an estimated 100 million Americans. It doesn’t stop at the soreness in your lower back either. It can affect your mind too.
Pain and depression go hand in hand. They feed off of each other, making it hard to escape the cycle. This can be destructive on several fronts, leading to high medical costs and potential addiction.
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Access to effective, sustainable care can also be a problem. However, a new study shows a useful, affordable, safe, and effective coping mechanism for pain and mood: mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR.
Participants in semi-rural Oregon experiencing issues with affordability and access to care received intensive instruction on mindfulness meditation and mindful hatha yoga for 8 weeks.
It worked.
Most participants, 89% of them, in fact, reported that the program helped them find better ways to cope with pain. Pain relief, mood, and functional capacity were all improved during the instruction period. Participants were given the tools to continue treatment at home.
The study appeared in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.
Yoga and mindfulness can be taught virtually and practiced by anybody, anywhere. There is other work suggesting these practices can aid pain management and offer effective coping mechanisms.
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These lifestyle measures may help combat chronic pain in a few ways. The first is outlook. Mindfulness meditation may promote a sense of calm and clarity that can relieve stress. Stress and depression may exacerbate physical pain, so the calming effects of mindfulness may help.
Plenty of data suggests yoga may improve pain and functionality. The meditative stretching helps loosen muscles and familiarizes various positions to make the body more fluid and adaptable.
Managing chronic pain is about getting a handle on physical and mental health. Meditation and yoga can work together to potentially improve your mood and general outlook, helping to quell the pain in the process.
Devon Andre has been involved in the health and dietary supplement industry for a number of years. Devon has written extensively for Bel Marra Health. He has a Bachelor of Forensic Science from the University of Windsor, and went on to complete a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh. Devon is keenly aware of trends and new developments in the area of health and wellness. He embraces an active lifestyle combining diet, exercise and healthy choices. By working to inform readers of the options available to them, he hopes to improve their health and quality of life.
