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

Fear of back pain? Once you have had it, you say “yes!” Your Nashua chiropractor gets it. Nashua back pain and neck pain patients don’t want to feel that pain again. Moriarty Chiropractic helps spine pain sufferers get their confidence back with encouragement and exercise. 

FEAR AVOIDANCE DUE TO BACK PAIN

Back pain sufferers don't want to revisit back pain if they can help it. That desire - whether obvious or subtle, stated or just ruminated in the mind – sets up the situation for a behavior known as fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically caused 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 lumbar spine paraspinal muscle activity use while lifting in both back pain and in pain-free persons. Fear of lifting an object with a flexed spine as described in a questionnaire was negatively associated with erector spinae activity to protect the spine from harm. The proper way to lift has been argued 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 found to result in more erector spinae muscle activity resulting in muscle fatigue and pain.  (2) Moriarty 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 active but some require a little more support and encouragement to move and exercise because of a lack of confidence in their spines’ ability to exercise without causing pain. The healthcare provider not only can provide the latest findings on pain control but also train the back pain patient to be physical in the safest way possible. (3) If you are that patient, Moriarty Chiropractic is your coach! We are a team and can help you move easier and with less fear and provide gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. Three months of chiropractic manipulation and exercise for older adults with chronic back pain boosted 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 Nashua back pain so it does not control you. 

CONTACT Moriarty 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 Nashua chiropractic appointment soon so that if you are questioned whether you fear back pain, you can say “no”!