Scalable mindfulness model can help treat chronic low back pain

Low back pain affects over 600 million people and is the single leading cause of disability worldwide.

New research from Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest essential hospital in New England, suggests that the Optimizing Pain Treatment In Medical settings Using Mindfulness (OPTIMUM) trial, in which an adapted group mindfulness program is delivered through primary care telehealth for patients with chronic low back pain, produced sustained reductions in pain and improvements in patients' daily lives.

The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, highlight a scalable, nonpharmacological approach to treating chronic pain. ...