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

Fear of back pain? Once you’ve experienced it, you say “yes!” Your Richmond chiropractor totally understands it. Richmond back pain and neck pain patients don’t want to feel that pain again. Johnson 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 can help it. That desire - whether obvious or subtle, stated or just ruminated in the mind – establishes the situation for a behavior called fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically generated or not – elicited 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 recent study compared fear-avoidant beliefs and the use of lumbar paraspinal muscle activity while lifting in both back pain and in pain-free volunteers. 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 debated for a long time. Lifting with a straight back has been described as safer than lifting with a flexed back though research has not necessarily supported that while lifting with a lordotic posture has been reported to result in more erector spinae muscle activity giving rise to muscle fatigue and pain.  (2) Johnson Chiropractic knows the significance of managing fear avoidance and its link to better quality of life.

HOW TO MANAGE FEAR AVOIDANCE

Researchers noted that back pain sufferers today ‘get’ that they must keep moving but some require a bit more support and encouragement to move and exercise due to a lack of confidence in their backs’ ability to exercise without triggering pain. The healthcare provider not only can share the latest findings on pain control but also teach the back pain patient to be physical in the safest way possible. (3) If you are that patient, Johnson Chiropractic is your coach! We are a team and can help you move better and with less fear and provide gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. 12 weeks of chiropractic manipulation and exercise for older adults with chronic back pain boosted their self-efficacy and fear-avoidant behaviors along with reductions in disability. A 30% or more reduction in the Oswestry Disability Index suggested 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’s work together to manage your Richmond back pain so it doesn’t control you. 

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

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

Schedule your Richmond chiropractic appointment now so that if you are questioned whether you fear back pain, you can say “no”!