Researchers from Massachan School of Medicine, in collaboration with teams from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Boston Medical Center, Multi-site chronic low back pain study We are exploring ways to use AI techniques to predict and monitor who will respond to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which improves movement, sleep, and daily functioning without relying solely on medication.

The study, “Integrative Mindfulness-Based Predictive Approaches for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain” (IMPACT), includes a clinical trial of 350 people and is based on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, an evidence-based intervention developed at Massachusetts Chan College by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn more than 50 years ago. professor emeritus of medicine. The eight-week program teaches meditation, mindful movement, and awareness practices designed to help individuals’ different responses to pain and stress.

“This job feels like coming home,” said Paula Gardiner, MD, associate professor of family medicine and community health and a member of the research team. “MBSR was developed here, and we are now studying it in a rigorous manner to better understand how it can help people living with chronic pain.”

Chronic low back pain affects millions of adults and often affects sleep, mood, physical activity, and quality of life. National clinical guidelines recommend mindfulness as a non-pharmacological option for both acute and chronic low back pain, but it is not consistently covered by insurance.

“Standard treatment for low back pain is often medication and physical therapy,” Dr. Gardiner says. “What we do is give people an additional tool in their toolbox, a tool they can use every day to manage their pain.”

Gene King, Ph.D., adjunct professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and medicine at Massachusetts Chan College and the Morgan Endowed Chair in Biology and Biotechnology at WPI, serves as the corresponding multisite PI for the David McManus, MD, ’02, MS’12 study. Richard M. Haiduk Professor of Medicine; Dean and professor of medicine. and Apurv Soni, MD, PhD’21, assistant professor of medicine.

“This is truly an amazing team, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. McManus, Dr. Gardener, Dr. Soni, and the other members of the MIT Chan team for their hard work, dedication, and scientific rigor. I am confident that this research will be transformative for many people suffering from pain around the world,” said Dr. King.

The IMPACT study will enroll participants in weekly Zoom-based mindfulness sessions led by certified instructors. Over eight weeks, participants will learn meditation practices, mindful movement, and skills that focus on paying attention to present-moment experience without judgment.

“Chronic pain is incredibly complex,” Gardiner says. “It affects our sleep, stress, mood, and how we interact with family. Mindfulness can help people become aware of what’s going on in their bodies and minds and make choices that support their health.”

Participants will also be provided with a Fitbit to track their physical activity and sleep over the six-month study period. Researchers are investigating whether mindfulness affects participants’ physical activity, quality of sleep, comfort with physical activity, and more.

“People with chronic back pain often worry that physical activity will make the pain worse,” Gardiner says. “Fear of movement, what we call catastrophizing, can limit recovery. We’re studying whether mindfulness can reduce that fear and support healthier activities.”

The research focuses on predictive machine learning, which allows researchers to analyze wearable data in parallel with survey responses. The goal is not only to understand whether mindfulness is helpful, but also to determine who is most likely to benefit.

After a successful pilot phase with 50 participants, the study will: Recruiting 300 more adults across Massachusetts.

Gardiner emphasized that mindfulness is not about ignoring pain, but about changing your relationship with it.

“For people living with chronic pain, it can feel isolating and invisible,” she said. “This program helps people realize that they are not alone and that there are skills they can develop to live their lives to the fullest.”