Move in Mind: Program for Reducing Musculoskeletal Pain

The present pilot study will explore the range of mental and physical health benefits associated with a Rolfing®-based intervention program ("Move in Mind"). To assess the effects of this program on pain management and various psychological outcomes, the investigator's study will be offered to individuals with mild chronic musculoskeletal pain (e.g., lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, arthritic pain). Shortened from ten to six sessions and adapted to a group setting by Rolfing® instructor Monica Canducci, the intervention will be delivered weekly by Ms. Canducci, who is certified in Rolfing®. The program will target the potential associations of the Move in Mind program with better pain management (primary outcome) as well as increased body awareness and presence, increased well-being, and better stress management (secondary outcomes). Interested participants will be asked to complete a battery of questionnaires and psychometric scales to assess the variables of interest before (baseline) and after their participation in the Move in Mind program (six-week follow-up). A waitlist control group will also be assessed at baseline and follow-up and will then receive the Move in Mind sessions subsequently and also assessed after their participation.

The Move in Mind Program is a 6-week Rolfing®-based intervention program shortened from ten to six sessions and adapted to a group setting by Rolfing® instructor Monica Canducci.

Participants will be crossed over to the Move in Mind program following the 6-week waitlist control. Participants of the waitlist control group will be asked to complete follow-up questionnaires both at the same time as the intervention group (after week six) as well as after their own program.

Each of the six Move in Mind sessions will take place once a week for approximately 1.5 hours, with 12-17 individuals participating per class. The material and exercises taught will include physical floor exercises, breathing exercises, as well as awareness training.

The short-form McGill Pain Questionaire (SF-MPQ) is a 15-item self-report measure that assesses the quality and intensity of a patient's pain. Descriptors either represent the sensory dimension (items 1-11; e.g., "Stabbing") or the affective dimension of pain experience (items 12-15; e.g., "Punishing-Cruel"). Patients respond to the SF-MPQ using an intensity scale ranging from 0 (none) to 3 (severe).

The Perceived Stress Scale is a 10-item scale measuring the degree to which situations in the past month are perceived as overwhelming or unpredictable.

Difference in depressive disorder diagnoses and depressive symptom severity at the end of treatment/waitlist period.

8 items based on Frayn et al. (2020). Items such as "The program was easy to follow" or "I can see myself using what I learned in the program in the long term" are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Inclusion Criteria: 18 or older experiencing a type of mild musculoskeletal pain (e.g., pain related to the muscles, ligaments, bones, joints, or nerve compression) Exclusion Criteria: pregnant receiving treatment for severe chronic pain have had recent concussions or fractures as a result of accidents