Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and meditation in the treatment of persistent low back pain: Interventional Study

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effect of both CBT and Meditation in chronic lower back pain patients. Method: Participants fulfilling the exclusion and inclusion criteria and who are between the age group of 35-50 years with CLBP were included.  Numerical pain rating scale and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) was used for the participant selection. The participants were further divided into three groups and 4-week intervention of conventional physiotherapeutic exercise, meditation and CBT, was given to the participants. Numerical Pain Rating Scale and Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire were used as outcome measures. Results: 40 chronic back pain patients were enrolled and randomized. All enrolled participants completed baseline tests, providing cross-sectional data for this study. Simple randomization allocated 14 patients to the control group and 13 patients each to Experimental Group 1 and Experimental Group 2. Significant within-group improvements occurred on the Numerical Rating Scale and Oswestry scores between baseline and final visits for all groups. However, the experimental groups showed significantly greater decreases in pain intensity versus controls, evidenced by reduced mean Numerical Rating Scale and Oswestry scores at follow-up. One-way ANOVA and Welch tests revealed significantly reduced Numerical Rating Scale and Oswestry scores after treatment across groups. Both tests yielded statistically significant p-values <0.01. Conclusion: The findings show that meditation and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are beneficial in reducing pain. As a result, for patients with persistent low back pain, taking into consideration these two treatment techniques is critical. Keywords: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Chronic Pain, Oswestry Questionnaire