Title: Mindfulness-based interventions for patients with arthritis: A systematic review
Name: Abigail Nowakowski
Primary Presenters: Abby Nowakowski and Nicole Frank
College of Health Sciences
Clinical Doctorate
Faculty Sponsor(s): Dr. Monna Arvinen-Barrow

In the United States, 24% of adults have a diagnosis of arthritis, which equates to roughly 58.5 million individuals (CDC, 2021). Arthritis is a leading cause of work disability due to common symptoms of pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in or around the joints. In addition to the physical symptoms that occur from arthritis, there also is a large prevalence of psychological factors, including depression and anxiety (Stubbs et al., 2016). Current treatments for arthritis primarily consist of prescription analgesic medications for pain management or total joint arthroplasty (TJA) surgeries (Ahn et al., 2019; Dowsey et al., 2017). Despite their popularity, both treatments have been found to have adverse effects, further increasing the impact of arthritis on individuals’ lives (Ahn et al., 2019). Common side effects of prescription analgesic medications can include increased falls, nausea and drowsiness, while TJA surgeries do not always prove effective, and an estimated 15% of individuals who undergo TJA do not achieve a clinically meaningful improvement within one year post-surgery (Dowsey et al., 2017; O’Neil et al., 2012; Reid et al., 2010; Solomon et al., 2010). Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are emerging as a nonpharmacological and nonsurgical approach for the management of arthritis. Mindfulness can be defined as the ability or practice of maintaining a non-judgmental state of heightened awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis (Lee et al., 2017b). Previous studies have found mindfulness-based practices to be associated with lower-self reported pain levels and better pain coping perception, leading to reduced pain disability in patients with chronic pain (Lee et al., 2017a). The purpose of this systematic review was to provide a synthesis of existing literature surrounding the use of MBIs for individuals with arthritis, and their effects on pain and quality of life. We conducted a systematic review examining literature through 2019 that was available on PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL, using keywords related to osteoarthritis, pain, and mindfulness. Inclusion criteria were participants aged 50 years or older, full text provided in English, inclusion of the MBI method, participants diagnosed with arthritis, and that the research question was addressed. A total of 30 articles were reviewed, of which 8 met the criteria for inclusion. Various types of MBIs, including Tai Chi, formal meditation, and informal meditation, were employed by the reviewed articles with mixed results. Some studies found reductions in pain and improvements in quality of life for participants in the MBIs group and others indicated no significant differences relative to the control group. In closing, our review’s findings indicate that MBIs could serve as a potential alternative treatment option for the management of arthritis pain and symptoms, but additional research is necessary to better determine its effectiveness.

https://sites.uwm.edu/healthresearchsymposium-2022/files/formidable/2/MBIs-for-Patients-with-Arthritis-References-183c14.pdf