This study will compare the effectiveness of two pain management pathways (standard vs. enriched) for patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery in the Military Health System (MHS). Effectiveness will be based on post-surgery patient-centered outcomes and extent of opioid use. The study design is a 2-arm, parallel group, individual-randomized trial.

The relevance of our model is supported by evidence that pain catastrophizing, self-efficacy and hypervigilance predict poor surgical outcomes and long-term opioid use. Surgery can exacerbate catastrophic thinking, especially if patients have unrealistic recovery expectations that go unmet. Physical therapy (PT) can improve chronic LBP (low back pain) outcomes, with effects mediated through changes in pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy. Mindfulness techniques help patients disentangle an experience (e.g., pain) from associated emotions and appraisals. Mindfulness can enhance emotion regulation and raise un-conscious behavioral responses (e.g., opioid use) to conscious consideration. The benefits of mindfulness for chronic pain are mediated by changes in hypervigilance and self-efficacy. Physical therapy and mindfulness can disrupt the self-reinforcing cycle of pain, catastrophic appraisal and unconscious behavioral response including opioid use. Our project examines an innovative strategy to integrate mindfulness and PT into an enriched surgical management pathway for individuals undergoing lumbar spine surgery.

Patients at 3 different military hospitals will be randomized prior to surgery to two different treatment groups and followed for a period of 6 months, including the post-operative intervention phase.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Tricare beneficiary receiving care in a participating MHS facility.
2. Age 18 - 75 years at the time of enrollment
3. Scheduled to undergo lumbar spine surgery within the next 60 days. Surgery may be laminectomy with or without fusions including lateral, transforaminal, posterior or anterior approach for 1-4 lumbar levels. Surgery may be performed in military or civilian facility
4. Indication for surgery may include disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, lumbar stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis or scoliosis.
5. Anticipates ability to attend treatment sessions over a 16 week period following the surgical procedure with no planned absence of 2 weeks or more for training, vacation or any purpose

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Indication for surgery is infection, fracture, tumor, trauma or other indication requiring emergency surgery.
2. A microsurgical technique as the primary procedure, such as an isolated laminotomy or microdiscectomy
3. Surgical procedure is a revision or participant has undergone a lumbar surgical procedure in the past year.
4. Contra-indication to participation in post-operative exercise program including severe orthopedic injury limiting mobility, wheelchair dependency, neurological disorder impacting mobility, reliance on supplemental oxygen for daily activity, etc.
5. Pending a medical evaluation board, discharge from the military for medical reasons, or pending or undergoing any litigation for an injury

Trial data from this trial will be entered into the National Institutes of Health Help End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL)Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) data repository and coordinating center.

Within 6 months of completion of all trial activities.

Requests to use data from the BACPAC data repository need to go through that organization. Otherwise, reasonable requests will be considered as long as all data sharing agreement (DSA) stipulations from the US Defense Health Agency have been met. More about filling out and submitting DSAs can be found at https://www.health.mil/

Study participants and clinicians cannot be blinded to study treatments. Randomization assignment will not be revealed until after enrollment and completion of baseline assessments. Study statisticians cannot be blinded to participants' study treatment assignments because they must complete Data Safety Monitoring Reports and analyze the study outcomes by treatment group. Study investigators will remain blinded to participants' treatment group assignment. Follow-up assessments will be performed by a research assistant who will be blinded to participants' treatment group assignment.