Application effect and sleep quality impact of multimodal analgesia (MMA) combined with Mindfulness-Based stress reduction (MBSR) therapy in Post-Spinal fusion surgery patients.

In 30 seconds

This single-center, parallel-group randomized controlled trial compared multimodal analgesia (MMA) plus mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with conventional analgesia in 124 patients after spinal fusion surgery. The combined intervention produced significantly lower pain scores at every measured postoperative time point from 6 to 72 hours (all P < 0.001), alongside lower analgesic use and better reported rehabilitation, sleep, and psychological outcomes. Adverse events were also less frequent. Follow-up was short, and the trial was not designed to distinguish the separate contributions of MMA and MBSR.

Key findings

• VAS pain scores were lower with MMA plus MBSR at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively (all P < 0.001).
• The intervention group had fewer analgesic-use measures, including lower cumulative oral morphine equivalents, fewer rescue doses, and shorter analgesic-use duration.
• Time to first ambulation and hospital stay were shorter, while spinal function recovery scores were higher with the combined intervention.
• PSQI scores were lower at one and two weeks; SAS and SDS scores were lower at two weeks, and adverse events were less frequent.

Why it matters

Pain control, sleep, psychological wellbeing, and early rehabilitation are relevant components of recovery after spinal fusion. The trial suggests that combining a multimodal analgesic approach with MBSR may improve several of these outcomes compared with conventional analgesia. Because the study tested the combination rather than the components separately, it does not establish which element accounts for the observed differences.

What to keep in mind

The trial was single-center with short follow-up and was not designed to separate the independent effects of MMA and MBSR; the authors call for confirmation in multicenter trials.