WillBrink
05-18-2008, 01:58 PM
There is a growing acceptance that Psychological factors/treatments can affect pain, in this case lower back pain. This recent review supports that reality. The issue at this point is not “if” psychology plays a roll is chronic pain syndromes, but by how much, is where the debate rests at this point. A conservative “old school” doc might say it plays a minor roll, where as people like Dr. Sarno feel it’s actually the primary cause of back pain. People interested in the work of Dr. Sarno (see thread "For those with back problems: good read" for more info) should read Dr. Sarno's book The Mind Body Prescription.
Regardless, people with back pain often look strictly for physical causes and cures and ignore the psychological aspects. Below is clear support for treating such pain syndromes with both physical and psychological based therapies:
Psychological Treatments Ease Low Back Pain
Psychological treatments such as hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation and counseling can help relieve chronic low back pain, according to a review in the January issue of the journal Health Psychology.
U.S. researchers examined the findings of 22 studies of patients with low back pain conducted between 1982 and 2003 and concluded that psychological treatments not only improve health-related quality of life and lower the risk of depression, they also reduce patients' experience of pain.
"Because this analysis was both more inclusive and more conservative than previous reviews, we have the best evidence to date that these interventions are helpful," review lead author Robert Kerns, of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said in a prepared statement.
Kearns said he and his colleagues were somewhat surprised by the finding that psychological treatments can reduce pain. That's because when psychologists first started to develop these kinds of treatments several decades ago, the objective was to help patients cope with their pain, not to actually lower their pain levels.
"However, a growing body of knowledge suggests that these interventions are actually having a primary effect on people's experience of pain," Kearns said.
The review found that of all the psychological interventions, cognitive-behavioral and self-regulatory treatments seemed to provide the greatest benefits to patients with low back pain.
"Psychological interventions are not cures, but they do reduce pain and improve function, and they are important components in the treatment of people with chronic pain," Dennis Turk, professor of anesthesiology and pain research at the University of Washington in Seattle, said in a prepared statement.
Regardless, people with back pain often look strictly for physical causes and cures and ignore the psychological aspects. Below is clear support for treating such pain syndromes with both physical and psychological based therapies:
Psychological Treatments Ease Low Back Pain
Psychological treatments such as hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation and counseling can help relieve chronic low back pain, according to a review in the January issue of the journal Health Psychology.
U.S. researchers examined the findings of 22 studies of patients with low back pain conducted between 1982 and 2003 and concluded that psychological treatments not only improve health-related quality of life and lower the risk of depression, they also reduce patients' experience of pain.
"Because this analysis was both more inclusive and more conservative than previous reviews, we have the best evidence to date that these interventions are helpful," review lead author Robert Kerns, of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said in a prepared statement.
Kearns said he and his colleagues were somewhat surprised by the finding that psychological treatments can reduce pain. That's because when psychologists first started to develop these kinds of treatments several decades ago, the objective was to help patients cope with their pain, not to actually lower their pain levels.
"However, a growing body of knowledge suggests that these interventions are actually having a primary effect on people's experience of pain," Kearns said.
The review found that of all the psychological interventions, cognitive-behavioral and self-regulatory treatments seemed to provide the greatest benefits to patients with low back pain.
"Psychological interventions are not cures, but they do reduce pain and improve function, and they are important components in the treatment of people with chronic pain," Dennis Turk, professor of anesthesiology and pain research at the University of Washington in Seattle, said in a prepared statement.