The effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on pain perceptions in patients with chronic pelvic pain: A case series.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pelvic pain affects 15-20% of women, and patients frequently do not find relief with first-line therapies. Mindfulness-based meditation programs are effective in improving outcomes for patients with chronic pain conditions, but limited data exists for patients with chronic pelvic pain. We describe the effect of a brief mindfulness-based program, incorporated into pelvic-floor physical therapy visits, on perceived pain in patients with chronic pelvic pain. CASE SERIES: Patients being treated for pelvic pain participated in this 8-week program. Pelvic-floor physical therapists delivered a brief mindfulness-based exercise during routine physical therapy visits. Patients reported pain scores and pain catastrophizing scores at the beginning and end of the program. Ten patients completed the program. Paired-samples t-tests showed that pain catastrophizing significantly decreased from baseline to 8 weeks in patients who completed the mindfulness training and increased among patients who withdrew. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness-based exercises may be a useful complementary therapy for the treatment of chronic pelvic pain.

Mindfulness meditation for women with chronic pelvic pain: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a common condition that can be difficult to treat. Mindfulness meditation improves outcomes in patients with cancer pain, low back pain and migraine headaches. This study evaluates feasibility and efficacy of mindfulness for patients with CPP. STUDY DESIGN: Women with CPP were enrolled in an 8-week mindfulness program. Pre-assessments and post-assessments included daily pain scores, the Short Form-36 Health Status Inventory, Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Score and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. RESULTS: Twelve out of 22 enrolled subjects completed the program and had significant improvement in daily maximum pain scores (p = 0.02), physical function (p = 0.01), mental health (p = 0.01) and social function (p = 0.02). The mindfulness scores improved significantly in all measures (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Data from this pilot study show the feasibility of mindfulness meditation in women with CPP. Initial pilot data suggest that quality of life and mindfulness outcomes may improve with mindfulness meditation and justify further investigation with a randomized, controlled trial.