Many people with long-term back pain have tried physical therapy and medication, to no avail. A new study suggests they might “unlearn” their discomfort in weeks — using psychological therapy.
“For a long time, we have thought that chronic pain is due primarily to problems in the body, and most treatments to date have targeted that,” Yoni Ashar, who led the study while earning his PhD in the department of psychology and neuroscience at University of Colorado Boulder says.
“This treatment is based on the premise that the brain can generate pain in the absence of injury or after an injury has healed, and that people can unlearn that pain. Our study shows it works,” Ashar adds.
According to the study results, two-thirds were pain-free or nearly pain-free after treatment. And most remained free of pain for one year.
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“The magnitude and durability of pain reductions we saw are very rarely observed in chronic pain treatment trials,” Ashar notes. Opioids have only moderate and short-term relief in many trials.
About 85% of people with chronic back pain have pain for which tests can’t find a clear bodily source, such as tissue damage, the researchers share.
Misfiring neural pathways are partly to blame, according to the study. Different brain regions activate more during chronic pain than acute pain. Among chronic pain patients, certain neural networks are sensitized to overreact to even mild stimuli.
Here are two ways psychological therapy helps with chronic back pain:
A psychologist can help you come up with a plan specifically designed with you in mind to help you determine coping mechanisms for any anxiety or depression that may be accompanied by your pain.
“The idea is that by thinking about the pain as safe rather than threatening, patients can alter the brain networks reinforcing the pain, and neutralize it,” according to Ashar.
The goal of the treatment is to educate the patient about the role of the brain in causing chronic pain and to help them reappraise their pain as they move in ways they’d been afraid to. It also aims to help them cope with emotions that may increase their pain.
READ: Using Your Mind To Cure The Body
Stress can trigger muscle tension or muscle spasms, which may increase your pain. Psychologists can help you manage any stress that may be causing your back pain.
Some psychologists use biofeedback, sensors that are attached to your skin to track your stress response by tracking your heart rate, blood pressure and brain waves.
This can help determine which strategies are most successful in controlling your body’s response to tension.
“This study suggests a fundamentally new way to think about both the causes of chronic back pain for many people and the tools that are available to treat that pain,” researcher Sona Dimidjian, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder says. “It provides a potentially powerful option for people who want to live free or nearly free of pain.”
If you are suffering from chronic back pain, it is important to remember that hope is not lost. With the right treatments, whether it be psychological therapy, exercise or medication, you can find a way to manage your pain.
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