Meditation for Pain: What Does the Science Say?

Published by Dr. C.J. DeFabio, D.C. | May 18, 2020

Meditation for Pain: What Does the Science Say?

The practice of meditation has been around for thousands of years, but it’s only within the last few decades that it has exploded in popularity. Meditation has become a normal daily practice for stress management and overall wellness. What’s more, recent studies are suggesting that it might also play an important role in pain management.

With over 11% of the U.S. population suffering from chronic pain, according to the Center for Disease Control, this natural way to alleviate pain couldn’t have become popular at a better time.

Let’s take a look at what recent studies say about the effectiveness of meditation for pain. We’ll also breakdown simple steps you can take to start meditating today.

Research on Meditation for Pain

Due to the opioid epidemic, doctors and patients alike are searching for drug-free and all-natural ways to alleviate pain. One review of 38 studies wanted to see how meditation would measure up for pain. Researchers graded each study based on outcomes of pain, depression, quality of life, and analgesic use. Meditation was found in all studies to be effective for pain. Some studies showed it was great for alleviating depression as well. It should be noted that the researchers found the results promising but suggested more in-depth studies.

With the pain-alleviating benefits of meditation becoming more obvious, researchers weren’t sure how meditation was able to reduce pain. Some speculated that meditation was activating opioid receptors. But one study found that meditation significantly reduced pain, and it had nothing to do with opioid mechanisms in the body.

One very unique find is the difference that meditation has on short-term and long-term meditators. One study found that those who are new to meditation will experience the greatest pain reduction benefits. But what’s really interesting is that long-term meditators experience a complete shift in pain awareness. Researchers believe that although the subjects didn’t experience a higher level of pain reduction, their pain did not bother them because they did not assign a meaning to the pain.

How to Meditate in 5 Simple Steps

Convinced and ready to get started with meditation? Start small and set a timer for 5 minutes. Here are several simple steps to begin meditating:

1. Sit up in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair. You can also lie down if you’re experiencing pain.
2. Take three deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Focus on your breath going into your stomach as you breathe in and out through your nose.
5. Count the breaths up to 10, then begin again at 1. Do this until the timer runs out.

Resources for Meditation

If you’re having trouble with starting your meditation journey, there are a few apps and videos that can help:

Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer: These are the most popular meditation apps available for download. They have guided meditations for pain management.

YouTube: There are dozens of videos on guided meditation for pain. You can try this one or this one.

Meditation and a Pain Management Program

Daily meditation – even if it’s only 10 minutes per day – should be one part of a bigger plan for pain management. If you’re suffering from chronic pain and you’re looking for natural ways to get back on your feet, we can help.

We have a team of experts who specialize in chronic pain treatments such as chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture. Combining meditation for pain with these other treatments can be highly effective. Give us a call at 773.878.7330 to learn more about a personalized pain management program.

References

1. Zeidan F, Vago DR. Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief: a mechanistic account. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016;1373(1):114–127. doi:10.1111/nyas.13153.
2. Hilton L, Hempel S, Ewing BA, et al. Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Behav Med. 2017;51(2):199–213. doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2.
3. Zeidan F, Adler-Neal AL, Wells RE, Stagnaro E, May LM, Eisenach JC, McHaffie JG, Coghill RC. Mindfulness-Meditation-Based Pain Relief Is Not Mediated by Endogenous Opioids. J Neurosci. 2016 Mar 16;36(11):3391-7. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4328-15.2016.