Fear of back pain? Once you’ve had it, you say “yes!” Your Southern New Hampshire chiropractor totally understands it. Southern New Hampshire back pain and neck pain patients do not want to experience that pain again. New Hampshire Spine and Sport helps spine pain sufferers regain their confidence with encouragement and exercise.
FEAR AVOIDANCE DUE TO BACK PAIN
Back pain sufferers want to avoid back pain if they have any options at all. That desire - whether obvious or subtle, stated or just ruminated in the mind – sets up the situation for a behavior called fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically caused or not – elicited high levels of fear avoidance, anxiety, and depression. (1) Researchers noted that the pain experience isn't just physical because emotions, behaviors and beliefs are mixed in, too. Fear avoidant behavior like fearing object lifting grows and impacts muscle behavior without realizing it. A recent study compared fear-avoidant beliefs and the lumbar spine paraspinal muscle activity use while lifting in both back pain and in pain-free volunteers. Fear of lifting an object with a flexed spine as documented in a questionnaire was negatively related with erector spinae activity to protect the spine from injury. The proper way to lift has been debated through the years. Lifting with a straight back has been described as safer than lifting with a flexed back though research has not necessarily supported that while lifting with a lordotic posture has been reported to result in more erector spinae muscle activity resulting in muscle fatigue and pain. (2) New Hampshire Spine and Sport recognizes the significance of managing fear avoidance and its link to better quality of life.
HOW TO MANAGE FEAR AVOIDANCE
Researchers documented that back pain sufferers today ‘get’ that they must keep active but some require a little more support and encouragement to move and exercise because of a lack of confidence in their bodies’ ability to exercise without triggering pain. The healthcare provider not only can give the latest findings on pain control but also teach the back pain patient to be physical in the safest way possible. (3) If you’re that patient, New Hampshire Spine and Sport is your trainer! We’re a team and can help you move easier and with less fear and provide gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. 12 weeks of chiropractic manipulation along with exercise for older adults with chronic back pain boosted their self-efficacy and fear-avoidant behaviors together with reductions in disability. A 30% or more reduction in the Oswestry Disability Index suggested positive response to care. (4) The more engaged a patient is with treatment, the greater the influence on the feeling of self-efficacy and disability reduction. (5) Let’s work together to manage your Southern New Hampshire back pain so it doesn’t control you.
CONTACT New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Tom Menendez on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for an older patient with back pain for whom fear avoidance is understandable.
Schedule your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment now so that if you are asked if you fear back pain, you can say “no”!