• Samantha M Meints, Ronald G Garcia, Zev Schuman-Olivier, Michael Datko, Gaelle Desbordes, Marise Cornelius, Robert R Edwards, and Vitaly Napadow.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA.
• Pain Med. 2022 Aug 31; 23 (9): 157015811570-1581.

ObjectiveRespiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve stimulation (RAVANS) is a safe nonpharmacological approach to managing chronic pain. The purpose of the current study was to examine (1) the feasibility and acceptability of RAVANS, combined with mindful meditation (MM) for chronic low back pain (CLBP), (2) the potential synergy of MM+RAVANS on improving pain, and (3) possible moderators of the influence of MM+RAVANS on pain.DesignPilot feasibility and acceptability study.SettingPain management center at large academic medical center.SubjectsNineteen adults with CLBP and previous MM training.MethodsParticipants attended two sessions during which they completed quantitative sensory testing (QST), rated pain severity, and completed a MM+stimulation session. Participants received RAVANS during one visit and sham stimulation during the other, randomized in order. Following intervention, participants repeated QST.ResultsMM+RAVANS was well tolerated, acceptable, and feasible to provide relief for CLBP. Both MM+stimulation sessions resulted in improved back pain severity, punctate pain ratings, and pressure pain threshold. Individuals with greater negative affect showed greater back pain improvement from MM+RAVANS while those with greater mindfulness showed greater back pain improvement from MM+sham.ConclusionsResults suggest that for CLBP patients with prior MM training, the analgesic effects of MM may have overshadowed effects of RAVANS given the brief single session MM+RAVANS intervention. However, those with greater negative affect may benefit from combined MM+RAVANS.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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