Mind-body Therapies for Injury-related Pain Management in Elite Athletes

Investigating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Meditation and Clinical Hypnosis for Injury-related Pain Management in Elite Athletes

This study will utilize a replicated single case experimental design (RSCD) to investigate the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness meditation (MM) vs clinical hypnosis (HYP) training for improving pain in injured elite athletes. The primary outcome is change in pain intensity. It is hypothesized that: (1) both treatments will engender clinically meaningful improvement in pain intensity; (2) change in cognitive processes will be a unique mechanism underlying improved pain outcome in MM, and (3) change in cognitive content will be a unique mechanism underlying improved pain outcome in HYP. This research program has the potential to reduce athletes' uncertainty around pain, time out with injury and improve pain management during rehabilitation and recovery from injury.

The proposed program of research will utilize our current understanding of the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System (BIS-BAS) model of pain and mind-body therapies and apply it to pain experienced by injured elite athletes. This study will be a replicated single case experimental design (RSCD), which will investigate the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness meditation (MM) vs clinical hypnosis (HYP) training for improving the primary outcome of pain intensity in injured elite athletes. It will also investigate the potential mechanism role of change in cognitive content and cognitive processes in underlying the effects of these mind-body therapies. It is hypothesized that: (1) both treatments will engender clinically meaningful improvement in pain intensity; (2) change in cognitive processes will be a unique mechanism underlying improved pain outcome in MM, and (3) change in cognitive content will be a unique mechanism underlying improved pain outcome in HYP. This research program has the potential to reduce athletes' uncertainty around pain, time out with injury and improve pain management during rehabilitation and recovery from injury.

Inclusion Criteria:

• be an elite athlete (i.e., competing at international or division 1 varsity level),
• currently have a sport or exercise-related injury that resulted in an average pain intensity greater than or equal to 3 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale in the past week, and for which the predicted recovery time at the point of study enrolment is greater than 5 weeks,
• Be 18 or over.
• Read, speak, and understand the English language.
• Have access to the internet on a computer or smartphone.
• Have access to a set of headphones.
• Be willing to be randomly assigned to both conditions and listen to five 20-minute treatment sessions.
• Be willing to participate in a daily survey for 25 consecutive days.