In a randomized comparative trial published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, researchers evaluated the relationships between mindfulness and pain, psychological symptoms, and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Mindfulness was assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and pain, physical function, quality of life, depression, stress, and self-efficacy were measured with commonly used patient-reported measures. The researchers also measured whether mindfulness moderated the pain-psychological outcome associations.
The researchers found that mindfulness moderates the influence of pain on stress, which suggests that mindfulness may alter the way one copes with pain. The researchers concluded that future studies examining the benefits of mind-body therapy, designed to increase mindfulness, for patients with osteoarthritis are warranted.
Read the abstract at www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584(16)30153-4/abstract.