Back pain, especially in the lower back region, is common among people in India. And physical treatment can prove to be helpful in some if not all cases. Another type of treatment that can prove helpful is therapy. Want to know how therapy or, more precisely, psychotherapy can help you with back pain relief?
If you said yes, you’ve come to the right place. Below we’ll discuss the link between chronic back pain and your mind. Also, we’ll try to explain how psychotherapies help reduce back pain. In addition to that, we’ll also list some types of psychotherapies that can prove useful. So, read in full.
Is There A Connection Between Chronic Back Pain And Mind?
When your back hurts, it’s natural to assume that it might be happening because of a disease or an injury. However, this is not always the case as per research. Several studies show that chronic back pain is often caused by our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Another new study shows that treatments aimed at our attitude and beliefs can significantly help you improve back pain. So, yes, there’s definitely a connection between your mind and back pain.
With that said, let’s now learn whether or not psychotherapy can help with back pain relief.
Can Psychotherapy Help Reduce Back pain?
What is psychotherapy in the first place? Well, psychotherapy is a process wherein psychological methods that are based on personal interactions are used. The motive here is to increase happiness, overcome problems and ultimately change behavior.
A study in people suffering from low to moderate back pain(chronic) who received PRT psychotherapy showed a significant reduction in the intensity of pain after the treatment. And most individuals were able to maintain the reductions for one year.
Another study showed that out of the total, 66% participants who received PRT psychotherapy were nearly or completely pain-free after the treatment. This evidence shows that psychotherapy can help reduce chronic pain.
What All Therapies Can Help Relieve Chronic Back Pain?
1. CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you treat chronic pain by encouraging different ways of thinking. It can include relaxation techniques and techniques for maintaining a positive attitude. The aim here is to readjust thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions.
According to several studies, patients who receive CBT tend to exercise more and be more active, resulting in a lesser risk of back pain.
2. MBSR or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
This therapy or treatment involves mindful movement and body awareness. Individuals who practice this therapy become aware of their feelings or thoughts and learn how to select an appropriate response.
And according to research, several individuals who practiced MSBR showed more improvement in back pain than the people who did not practice any therapy.
3. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
This therapy encourages individuals or patients to enrich their lives by making decisions based on their personal values. For example, the patient learns to create strategies and goals for accepting pain and for finding satisfaction in their lives respectively.
The psychotherapist might use metaphors to explain the concept of pain. For example, the psychotherapists might say things like think of pain as a ball floating on water. Instead of pushing into the water, the ball chooses to float, which takes much less effort.
This therapy kind of changes the perspective of how a person thinks and thus helps relieve chronic pain.
4. Biofeedback
In this therapy, the healthcare providers attach sensors to the patient’s body to measure the heartbeat, blood pressure, and brain waves to minor the stress response. When you feel stressed due to pain or anxiety, your BP rises, and so does the heart rate. Also, the muscles start to become tense.
In response, the therapists teach you different ways/strategies to stay calm and reduce stress during stressful conditions. Sometimes, activities such as progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and mindfulness are also included in the biofeedback therapies to achieve better results.
Is There Any Alternative Treatment For Back Pain?
Well, here’s what you can try:
- Consume anti-inflammatory Diet
- Consume Enough Calcium
- Achieve a Healthy Weight
- Consider Acupuncture Therapy
- Practice Yoga
Wrapping Up
Therapies can really help reduce chronic back pain. However, whether therapy will work on you or not depends on what caused the back pain. So, first, find the reason behind back pain. And if it’s your mind causing the chronic pain, you can go for the above-mentioned therapies.
However, if the reason behind your back pain is an injury or hereditary issue, you’ll need professional assistance(doctor), maybe even surgery. So, contact your doctor and get the back pain diagnosed. And once you do, you can easily deal with the problem.