Connected Chiropractic Helps Back Pain Sufferers Fight Fear Avoidance and Move More

Fear of back pain? Once you’ve had it, you answer “yes!” Your Elgin chiropractor gets this. Elgin back pain and neck pain patients do not want to experience that pain again. Connected Chiropractic helps spine pain sufferers get their confidence back 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 ‘perfect storm’ for a behavior called fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically caused or not – provoked high levels of fear avoidance, anxiety, and depression. (1) Researchers explained that the pain experience is not just physical because emotions, behaviors and beliefs are involved as well. Fear avoidant behavior like fearing the act of lifting an object grows and impacts muscle behavior without realizing it. A new study compared fear-avoidant beliefs and the use of lumbar paraspinal muscle activity while lifting in both back pain and in pain-free persons. Fear of lifting an object with a flexed spine as documented in a questionnaire was negatively associated with erector spinae activity to protect the spine from injury. The proper way to lift has been argued for a long time. Lifting with a straight back has been portrayed as safer than lifting with a flexed back though research has not really supported that while lifting with a lordotic posture has been found to result in more erector spinae muscle activity resulting in muscle fatigue and pain.  (2) Connected Chiropractic recognizes the significance of managing fear avoidance and its link to better quality of life.

HOW TO MANAGE FEAR AVOIDANCE

Researchers wrote that back pain sufferers today ‘get’ that they must keep moving but some require a bit more support and encouragement to move and exercise because of a lack of confidence in their backs’ ability to exercise without causing pain. The healthcare provider not only can give the latest findings on pain control but also coach the back pain patient to be physical in the safest way possible. (3) If you’re that patient, Connected Chiropractic is your coach! We are a team and can help you move better and with less fear and deliver gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. Three months of chiropractic manipulation along with exercise for older adults with chronic back pain improved their self-efficacy and fear-avoidant behaviors along with decreases in disability. A 30% or more drop in the Oswestry Disability Index indicated 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 us work together to manage your Elgin back pain so it doesn’t control you. 

CONTACT Connected Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Tom Menendez on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for an older patient with back pain for whom fear avoidance is logical.

Make your Elgin chiropractic appointment now so that if you are asked if you fear back pain, you can say “no”!