Mindfulness-based stress reduction is more effective than treatment as usual for improving function and other outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia, according to a randomised trial.

The mindfulness technique has been used to treat patients with chronic stress-related illness and several studies have also found it improves some core symptoms of fibromyalgia, the researchers write.

For their 12-month study, the Spanish team randomly assigned 225 patients with fibromyalgia to receive either usual care, usual care plus mindfulness stress reduction, or FibroQoL (a multicomponent intervention for fibromyalgia with a similar structure and format to the mindfulness technique).

The mindfulness-based stress reduction technique consisted of eight weekly two-hour sessions and an optional half-day of silent retreat.