Chronic Low-back PainMBPRNCT04980612
Development and Feasibility of Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction
A study testing Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in people with Chronic Low-back Pain, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This is a development study with clinical outcomes. The investigators aim to develop and test an 8-week MBPR (Mindfulness-Based Pain Reduction) program, which draws on intervention work and clinical experience in the investigative team to optimize a mindfulness-based intervention for individuals with chronic pain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Chronic Low-back Pain
- What is being tested?
- Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 52 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 14 Dec 2021to 1 May 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Chronic low back pain (cLBP) defined according to the NIH Research Task Force recommendation on Research Standards for cLBP: pain at least half the days in the past 6 months, by using 2 questions and a human figure drawing illustrating the region as the space between the lower posterior margin of the rib cage and the horizontal gluteal fold.
- Average pain in the last month at least 3 out of 10 on Numeric Rating Scale [range 0 - 10, for 0 signifying no pain and 10 signifying worst pain imaginable]. This level of pain allows comparability of the study results with the majority of cLBP studies. Pain rated less than 3 is too mild to detect improvement.
- Men and women aged 18 years old and older. The investigators are not enrolling younger children as they are not part of the Intensive Pain Rehabilitation Therapy program.
- Eligibility will be assessed using the following questions: "(1) How long has back pain been an ongoing problem for you? and (2) How often has low-back pain been an ongoing problem for you over the past 6 months?" A response of greater than three months to question 1, and a response of "at least half the days in the past 6 months" to question 2 would meet the cLBP eligibility criterion.
- Ability to speak English. We do not have the capacity, given the resources available in this proposal, to translate all course material and conduct groups into another language. The investiagtors have previously enrolled Hispanic participants into other studies who were fluent in English, and expect to do this in the proposed study.
- Owning a smart phone
Who cannot join
- Unable to provide informed consent.
- A substance abuse, mental health, or medical condition that, in the opinion of investigators, will make it difficult for the potential participant to participate or that may need immediate changes in medical management that will affect study outcome measures. Such conditions may include cancer, liver failure, renal failure, pain conditions from inflammatory diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus), malignancies or abdominal aortic aneurysm, muscle weakness from radiculopathy. Radiculopathy or sciatic pain is NOT excluded as long as the condition is stable and does not lead to significant movement restrictions or <4/5 muscle weakness. Persons with significant substance abuse or mental health conditions that interfere with social functioning may be disruptive. Other medical or mental health conditions that need immediate changes in management need to be addressed before starting the study so that more reliable baseline measurements can be made. Patients who may need assessment for potentially necessary surgical interventions may not be able to complete the study. Regular opioid prescription is not an exclusion if stable over the past 3 months.
- Spine related current or history of spine infection, spine tumor, vertebral fracture, cauda equina syndrome. Condition would increase heterogeneity of the sample.
- Blindness, severe vision problems, deafness, severe hearing problems, bipolar or manic depression and not taking medication, major depression, psychoses (major), a substance abuse condition, dementia, unable to get up and down from the floor. Condition might make it difficult to participate.
- Some other serious medical conditions that may alter key study outcomes, including untreated hypothyroidism, renal failure, and cirrhosis. Conditions that may alter key study outcomes.
- Involvement in a lawsuit related to their back. Complicated medico-legal issues that could lead to individuals having a financial incentive to not report improvement.
Show all 11Show fewer
- Involved in Worker's Compensation claim.
- Pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant in the next 12 months or less than 3 months post-partum. Particular back problems than may be associated with pregnancy and delivery may confound study outcomes.
- Lack of stable housing or plan to move out of the area within the next 6 months.
- MRI-related exclusion criteria: Cardiac pacemaker, metal fragments in eyes/skin/body (shrapnel), subjects who have ever been a metal worker/welder; history of eye surgery/eyes washed out because of metal, aortic aneurysm clips, prosthesis, by-pass surgery/coronary artery clips, hearing aid, heart valve replacement, subjects with an I.U.D, a shunt (ventricular or spinal), electrodes, metal plates/ pins/screws/wires, or neuro/bio-stimulators (TENS unit), vision problems uncorrectable with lenses, claustrophobia; inability to lie still on one's back for approximately 60 minutes; prior neurosurgery; older tattoos with metal dyes; unwillingness to remove nose, ear or face jewelry, braces or permanent dental retainers. Iron-containing metal parts in the body can potentially be dislocated by strong magnetic fields and preclude assessment with MRI.
- Received a steroid or botox injection in or near the spine in the last 3 months. This may alter key study outcomes.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of California San Francisco; Osher Center for Intgerative Medicine
San Francisco, California, 94115
About this study
Official title: Feasibility Clinical Trial of Integrated Mind-Body Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain
This is a development study with clinical outcomes. The investigators aim to develop and test an 8-week MBPR (Mindfulness-Based Pain Reduction) program, which draws on intervention work and clinical experience in the investigative team to optimize a mindfulness-based intervention for individuals with chronic pain. The overall goal of this study is to ensure that the MBPR program has been carefully refined and manualized in an in-person setting before performing clinical trials comparing MBPR to MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) to test whether it improves pain outcomes.
This study includes a Pain Attention Task that separates insula activation during experimental heat application between different pain attention conditions.
Read the detailed description
MBPR will be an optimized mindfulness program specifically designed for treating chronic low back pain (cLBP) that the investigators aim to develop and test in this project. 4 groups of 10 participants will receive MBPR consecutively to refine the MBPR curriculum. The format is the same as MBSR: 8 weeks of weekly 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. All sessions include training to enhance mindful interoceptive awareness through focused attention in the region of pain, the lower back.
A final group of 20 participants will be randomized to receive MBPR or MBSR. Total N=50 (40 MBPR; 10 MBSR). MBSR is a standardized and manualized 8-week program, delivered once a week in 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. It trains individuals in several mindfulness practices, e.g. focus on breath, varying degrees and directions of object orientation, open monitoring of awareness of intero- and exteroceptive stimuli and thoughts, de-reification (i.e. the notion that thoughts and perceptions are not always true to reality), and meta-awareness (i.e., awareness of thinking) in addition to focused attention. The program typically includes audio-recording and a workbook for home practice and has shown benefits in patients with cLBP.
This project also includes an ancillary brain imaging study designed to build on neuroscience reports of markedly decreased brain function and structure in the insular cortex (IC) of patients with cLBP. This project has the potential to reveal a potential central mechanism by which mind-body and acceptance-based approaches improve chronic pain conditions, e.g. cLBP. It may reveal a new paradigm for the treatment of cLBP with key importance and consequences for future behavioral intervention studies for pain.
- Conditions
- Chronic Low-back Pain
- Being tested
- Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- Keywords
- pain, mindfullness, MBSR, Low Back, pain reduction, interoceptive awareness
- Medical subject headings
- Pain
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mindfulness Based Pain ReductionBehavioural
40 participants will participate in a MBPR program. It will be an optimized mindfulness program specifically designed for treating cLBP that we will develop and test in this project. The format is the same as MBSR: 8 weeks of weekly 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat.
Mindfulness Based Stress ReductionBehavioural
10 participants will participate in MBSR program. MBSR is a standardized and manualized 8-week program, delivered once a week in 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. It trains individuals in several mindfulness practices, e.g. focus on breath, varying degrees and directions of object orientation, open monitoring of awareness of intero- and exteroceptive stimuli and thoughts, de-reification (i.e. the notion that thoughts and perceptions are not always true to reality), and meta-awareness (i.e., awareness of thinking) in addition to focused attention.The program typically includes audio-recordings and a workbook for home practice and has shown benefits in patients with cLBP.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Experimental | 4 cohorts of 10 participants to MBPR (First 3 groups single-arm, final group of 10 randomly assigned to MBPR) Receives: Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction |
| Group 2 | Active comparator | The last 20 participants will be randomly assigned to MBSR or MBPR, which will results in a control group with ~10 participants undergoing MBSR Receives: Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain Intensity
Change in average pain intensity in past week on Numeric Rating Scale [0 to 10] will be assessed by internet-based questionnaire using REDCap negative values indicate improvement.
Measured: baseline, post 8-week intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
Pain Interference
Change in average of the scores for the 3 Pain Interference items on PROMIS-29 [5-point Likert scale from 1 "Not at all" to 5 "Very much"] average for past week will be assessed by internet-based questionnaire using REDCap [range 3 - 15, higher values more interference] negative numbers indicate improvement in pain interference
Measured: baseline, post 8-week intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jul 2021
- Study start14 Dec 2021
- Primary completion1 Dec 2023
- Study completion1 May 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Chronic Low-back PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The intervention and MBPR manual will be refined iteratively in 4 courses with 10 participants. The last of these 4 MBPR classes will be about 10 of 20 participants randomly assigned to either participate in standard MBSR or MBPR. The first part of the study is single-arm, the last randomized to assess acceptability of randomization.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Wolf E Mehling, MD, Principal investigator, University of California, San Francisco
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04980612
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- # 21-34357
- Other IDs
- 1R34AT010921
- Acronym
- MBPR
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Jul 2021
- Last updated
- 16 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility Clinical Trial of Integrated Mind-Body Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04980612
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MBPR / # 21-34357
- Conditions
- Chronic Low-back Pain
- Keywords
- pain, mindfullness, MBSR, Low Back, pain reduction, interoceptive awareness
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Study start
- 14 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 May 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Jul 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 10 Apr 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a development study with clinical outcomes. The investigators aim to develop and test an 8-week MBPR (Mindfulness-Based Pain Reduction) program, which draws on intervention work and clinical experience in the investigative team to optimize a mindfulness-based intervention for individuals with chronic pain. The overall goal of this study is to ensure that the MBPR program has been carefully refined and manualized in an in-person setting before performing clinical trials comparing MBPR to MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) to test whether it improves pain outcomes.
This study includes a Pain Attention Task that separates insula activation during experimental heat application between different pain attention conditions.
Detailed description
MBPR will be an optimized mindfulness program specifically designed for treating chronic low back pain (cLBP) that the investigators aim to develop and test in this project. 4 groups of 10 participants will receive MBPR consecutively to refine the MBPR curriculum. The format is the same as MBSR: 8 weeks of weekly 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. All sessions include training to enhance mindful interoceptive awareness through focused attention in the region of pain, the lower back.
A final group of 20 participants will be randomized to receive MBPR or MBSR. Total N=50 (40 MBPR; 10 MBSR). MBSR is a standardized and manualized 8-week program, delivered once a week in 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. It trains individuals in several mindfulness practices, e.g. focus on breath, varying degrees and directions of object orientation, open monitoring of awareness of intero- and exteroceptive stimuli and thoughts, de-reification (i.e. the notion that thoughts and perceptions are not always true to reality), and meta-awareness (i.e., awareness of thinking) in addition to focused attention. The program typically includes audio-recording and a workbook for home practice and has shown benefits in patients with cLBP.
This project also includes an ancillary brain imaging study designed to build on neuroscience reports of markedly decreased brain function and structure in the insular cortex (IC) of patients with cLBP. This project has the potential to reveal a potential central mechanism by which mind-body and acceptance-based approaches improve chronic pain conditions, e.g. cLBP. It may reveal a new paradigm for the treatment of cLBP with key importance and consequences for future behavioral intervention studies for pain.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The intervention and MBPR manual will be refined iteratively in 4 courses with 10 participants. The last of these 4 MBPR classes will be about 10 of 20 participants randomly assigned to either participate in standard MBSR or MBPR. The first part of the study is single-arm, the last randomized to assess acceptability of randomization.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Experimental | Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction4 cohorts of 10 participants to MBPR (First 3 groups single-arm, final group of 10 randomly assigned to MBPR) |
| Group 2 | Active comparator | Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Stress ReductionThe last 20 participants will be randomly assigned to MBSR or MBPR, which will results in a control group with ~10 participants undergoing MBSR |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Chronic low back pain (cLBP) defined according to the NIH Research Task Force recommendation on Research Standards for cLBP: pain at least half the days in the past 6 months, by using 2 questions and a human figure drawing illustrating the region as the space between the lower posterior margin of the rib cage and the horizontal gluteal fold.
- Average pain in the last month at least 3 out of 10 on Numeric Rating Scale [range 0 - 10, for 0 signifying no pain and 10 signifying worst pain imaginable]. This level of pain allows comparability of the study results with the majority of cLBP studies. Pain rated less than 3 is too mild to detect improvement.
- Men and women aged 18 years old and older. The investigators are not enrolling younger children as they are not part of the Intensive Pain Rehabilitation Therapy program.
- Eligibility will be assessed using the following questions: "(1) How long has back pain been an ongoing problem for you? and (2) How often has low-back pain been an ongoing problem for you over the past 6 months?" A response of greater than three months to question 1, and a response of "at least half the days in the past 6 months" to question 2 would meet the cLBP eligibility criterion.
- Ability to speak English. We do not have the capacity, given the resources available in this proposal, to translate all course material and conduct groups into another language. The investiagtors have previously enrolled Hispanic participants into other studies who were fluent in English, and expect to do this in the proposed study.
Key exclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Unable to provide informed consent.
- A substance abuse, mental health, or medical condition that, in the opinion of investigators, will make it difficult for the potential participant to participate or that may need immediate changes in medical management that will affect study outcome measures. Such conditions may include cancer, liver failure, renal failure, pain conditions from inflammatory diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus), malignancies or abdominal aortic aneurysm, muscle weakness from radiculopathy. Radiculopathy or sciatic pain is NOT excluded as long as the condition is stable and does not lead to significant movement restrictions or <4/5 muscle weakness. Persons with significant substance abuse or mental health conditions that interfere with social functioning may be disruptive. Other medical or mental health conditions that need immediate changes in management need to be addressed before starting the study so that more reliable baseline measurements can be made. Patients who may need assessment for potentially necessary surgical interventions may not be able to complete the study. Regular opioid prescription is not an exclusion if stable over the past 3 months.
- Spine related current or history of spine infection, spine tumor, vertebral fracture, cauda equina syndrome. Condition would increase heterogeneity of the sample.
- Blindness, severe vision problems, deafness, severe hearing problems, bipolar or manic depression and not taking medication, major depression, psychoses (major), a substance abuse condition, dementia, unable to get up and down from the floor. Condition might make it difficult to participate.
- Some other serious medical conditions that may alter key study outcomes, including untreated hypothyroidism, renal failure, and cirrhosis. Conditions that may alter key study outcomes.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction40 participants will participate in a MBPR program. It will be an optimized mindfulness program specifically designed for treating cLBP that we will develop and test in this project. The format is the same as MBSR: 8 weeks of weekly 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. | Behavioural | Group 1 |
| Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction10 participants will participate in MBSR program. MBSR is a standardized and manualized 8-week program, delivered once a week in 2½-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat. It trains individuals in several mindfulness practices, e.g. focus on breath, varying degrees and directions of object orientation, open monitoring of awareness of intero- and exteroceptive stimuli and thoughts, de-reification (i.e. the notion that thoughts and perceptions are not always true to reality), and meta-awareness (i.e., awareness of thinking) in addition to focused attention.The program typically includes audio-recordings and a workbook for home practice and has shown benefits in patients with cLBP. | Behavioural | Group 2 |
Primary outcome
Pain Intensity
Time frame: baseline, post 8-week intervention
Change in average pain intensity in past week on Numeric Rating Scale [0 to 10] will be assessed by internet-based questionnaire using REDCap negative values indicate improvement.
1 secondary outcome
Pain Interference
Time frame: baseline, post 8-week intervention
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Jul 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Wolf E Mehling, MD principal investigator
University of California, San Francisco
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mindfulness Based Pain Reduction and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in people with Chronic Low-back Pain, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 10 Apr 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain Intensity (time frame: baseline, post 8-week intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Jul 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.