Liminality. Waiting. Transitioning. The holidays have many of us waiting and transitioning to holiday get-togethers
and a new year. Back pain has some of us Richmond back pain
and neck pain sufferers waiting and transitioning
on the arrival of pain relief, too.
The waiting is sometimes the toughest
part. Waiting for the big holiday and waiting for the relief of back pain or neck pain are accompanied by
anticipation. Exercising, breathing, and walking are positive
ways to cope with the liminality. Johnson Chiropractic is right there
with our Richmond chiropractic patients as they wait.
HOW TO HELP YOURSELF THROUGH BACK PAIN’S LIMINALITY
Back pain specialists will frequently prescribe
ice/heat/exercise for home care. New studies are describing
how deep breathing exercises (especially
the pursed-lips version which patients reported to be more calming and pleasant with stronger
sense of control) (1), diaphragmatic deep breathing (6 breaths a
minute for 10 minutes two times a day for a month
effectively produced positive outcomes to improve
autonomic function by reducing sympathetic activity) (2), and
long-distance walking (which allowed for time to be
in a ‘liminal space’ to contemplate on one’s
struggles, find calmness, and process
current thoughts) (3) are useful.
Johnson Chiropractic encourages any of these ideas to
augment the healing, pain-relieving process
with Richmond chiropractic services.
LIMINALITY IN BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA CARE
A fascinating outcome from a study done
in the UK - SCOPiC (SCiatica Outcomes in Primary Care) – explained
the thoughtful state of ‘liminality’ many sciatica or sciatic
leg pain sufferers use to manage their
pain and its path to recovery. The study has researchers
interview low back and sciatica sufferers. Sciatica arrives with
its own unique group of issues in terms of its
persistence and symptom severity. Researchers illustrated
the concept of “biographical suspension” as it related
to sciatica patients who seem to put life on hold while expecting an
eventual return to their prior, pain-free
selves, holding onto hope while also controlling distress.
This is a form of ‘liminality’, the time between pre- and post-pain,
bolstered by a belief that sciatica is a passing
problem that is fixable, not a long-term disease.
Even those who experienced sciatic leg pain for some time
maintained this belief. (4) Johnson Chiropractic is manytimes
amazed by the persistence of back pain and leg pain sufferers
to find a treatment that works for them. They oftentimes
consult a variety of healthcare
providers and try a variety of approaches as they are
confident that there is help. Richmond back pain and
Richmond leg pain patients are often relieved when they get to Johnson Chiropractic as we take
the time to clearly explain the spinal problem, its treatment,
its expected outcome, and its treatment plan comprising
the frequency of visits and the expected timeframe for
relief. The 50% Rule guides both: 50% subjective relief (how you
feel) along with 50% objective relief (via specific test findings) decrease
the treatment plan frequency by 50% (ex: daily visits change to
every other day). Johnson Chiropractic is always monitoring
the back and leg pain sufferer’s progress toward pain relief with the Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Robert Patterson on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses how
what the patient expects influences their
pain relief via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your next Richmond
chiropractic appointment soon. Waiting while transitioning from
pain to pain-relief is a time of hope mixed with a
little worry. Johnson Chiropractic understands this and has
the experience in walking this path with our low back pain
and sciatica patients. Liminality need not be endured alone!