Mindfulness-based waiting room intervention for osteopathic manipulation patients: a pilot randomized controlled
Adam W Hanley1, Eric L Garland1,2, Rebecca Wilson Zingg3
1College of Social Work's Center, Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
|March 11, 2021
Summary
Integrating mindfulness with osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) enhanced patient outcomes. Pre-OMT mindfulness improved body connection, safety, and satisfaction, while OMT reduced pain and improved sensory experience.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Pain Management
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions
Background:
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and mindfulness are effective pain management strategies.
- Combining these approaches may enhance benefits for pain patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if a mindfulness-based intervention before OMT improves OMT session outcomes.
- To assess the impact of pre-OMT mindfulness on patient-reported outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Pilot randomized controlled trial involving patients seeking OMT.
- Participants listened to either a history of osteopathic medicine or a guided mindfulness audio recording before OMT.
- Surveys measured mindfulness, embodied safety, pain, sensation, and session satisfaction.
Main Results:
- Mindfulness practice before OMT increased mindful connection to the body (p=0.036), sense of safety (p=0.026), and session satisfaction (p=0.037).
- OMT, regardless of condition, decreased pain (p<0.001) and increased pleasant-to-unpleasant sensation ratio (p<0.001).
- Increased safety and mindful connection predicted greater pain relief and improved sensation ratios.
Conclusions:
- Integrating mindfulness with OMT is feasible.
- Pre-OMT mindfulness may enhance body connection, safety, and satisfaction.
- OMT effectively reduces pain and improves sensory experience in patients.
