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Meditation for Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Chronic Low Back Pain
Interventions
Behavioral: Sham MBM
Behavioral: Active MBM
Registration Number
NCT06384001
Lead Sponsor
Florida State University
Brief Summary

This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to recruit 66 community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain and follow up them for 8 weeks. This study aims to test the preliminary effect of a mindfulness-based meditation (MBM) intervention on pain and symptoms among community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain, and also to test the effect of the MBM intervention on the host Gut-Brain Axis (GBA).

Detailed Description

Aim 1: to test the preliminary effect of a mindfulness-based meditation (MBM) intervention on pain and symptoms among community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain.

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that our active mindfulness-based meditation intervention will be feasible and acceptable to community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain and improve pain and symptoms to a greater extent than older adults randomized to a sham mindfulness-based meditation group.

Aim 2: to test the effect of the mindfulness-based meditation intervention on the host Gut-Brain Axis (GBA).

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that older adults randomized to the active mindfulness-based meditation intervention will have significantly improved compositional patterns and functional profiles of gut microbiota and increased pain-related cortical response measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to a greater extent than older adults randomized to the sham mindfulness-based meditation group at 2-weeks post-intervention, and 8-weeks follow up.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
66
Inclusion Criteria
  1. aged 50 years older
  2. intact cognition (examined by the Mini-Mental State Exam, ≥ 24)
  3. experiencing moderate low back pain daily or almost every day at least the previous three months (≥3 out of 10 on numeric rating scale [NRS])
  4. able to speak and read English
  5. not intent to change medication regimens for pain throughout the trial
Exclusion Criteria
  1. serious underlying illness (e.g., malignant neoplasms, bloodborne illness, low blood platelet count, been in chemotherapy)
  2. other concurrent chronic pain conditions (e.g., arthritis, headache, irritable bowel syndrome)
  3. psychosis
  4. inflammatory or malabsorptive intestinal diseases
  5. function limitation precluded the meditation practice
  6. participated meditation program before
  7. no access to the internet

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Sham MBMSham MBMThe sham MBM intervention matches the active MBM
Active MBMActive MBMThe active MBM is designed to be applied for 20 minutes per session daily.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in pain intensity and interferenceBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

Pain Inventory (BPI) will be used to assess the multidimensional aspects of pain, its location, intensity, and interference. A higher score indicated higher pain intensity with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the worst pain. A higher score of pain interference means daily functions are more impacted by pain, and 0 indicates no pain interference, and 10 means the worst pain interference.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in pain sensitivitiesBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) will be used to measure sensitivity to experimental pain with standardized stimuli to test both nociceptive and non-nociceptive systems.

Change in pain modulationBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) will also be measured. The CPM effect will be calculated as the pressure pain threshold difference between the rating at the initiation and the rating at the 60 seconds of the cold stimuli.

Change in chronic pain self-efficacyBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSES) will be used to measure pain self-efficacy with scores from 0-100, higher scores indicating improved self-efficacy.

Change in anxietyBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) profile will be used to measure the co-occurring anxiety. The T-score of PROMIS measurement ranges from 0 to 100 and a higher T-score indicates a more severe symptom reported by the subjects. A T-score greater than 50 means participants have more severe symptoms than the healthy population.

Change in cognitive complaintsBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) profile will be used to measure the co-occurring cognitive complaints. The T-score of PROMIS measurement ranges from 0 to 100 and a higher T-score indicates a more severe symptom reported by the subjects. A T-score greater than 50 means participants have more severe symptoms than the healthy population.

Change in depressionBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) profile will be used to measure the co-occurring depression. The T-score of PROMIS measurement ranges from 0 to 100 and a higher T-score indicates a more severe symptom reported by the subjects. A T-score greater than 50 means participants have more severe symptoms than the healthy population.

Change in fatigueBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) profile will be used to measure the co-occurring fatigue. The T-score of PROMIS measurement ranges from 0 to 100 and a higher T-score indicates a more severe symptom reported by the subjects. A T-score greater than 50 means participants have more severe symptoms than the healthy population.

Change in sleep disturbanceBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) profile will be used to measure the co-occurring sleep disturbance. The T-score of PROMIS measurement ranges from 0 to 100 and a higher T-score indicates a more severe symptom reported by the subjects. A T-score greater than 50 means participants have more severe symptoms than the healthy population.

Change in pain-related cortical responseBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

Cortical activity associated with pain stimuli will be assessed utilizing a continuous-wave, multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging system (LIGHTNIRS, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) equipped with three semiconductor lasers emitting at 780, 805, and 830 nm. Optical data will be gathered while subjects undergo thermal pain stimulation.

Measurement and comparison of fecal microbiota alpha diversity, beta diversity, and abundance of microbial taxa in the human gutBaseline and 2 weeks and 8 weeks

The 16S rRNA V4 region will be amplified and sequenced by using stool samples to depict the fecal microbiota alpha diversity, beta diversity, and abundance of microbial taxa in the human gut.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Florida State University

🇺🇸

Tallahassee, Florida, United States

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