Fear and Back Pain!
Make sense of back pain……….
Negative beliefs about low back pain (LBP) are common with -
50% of the general population believing back pain = that the back is damaged.
Around 90% percent believe that ignoring pain can damage the back
70% of people believe there is ongoing weakness in the back following an episode of back pain.
It follows then, that the experience of LBP can feel threatening and scary for many people.
However.....
Contrary to popular beliefs, the spine is a strong structure and serious underlying structural causes of LBP are rare.
The association between common MRI findings such as disc degeneration and disc bulges and LBP disability is weak.
In contrast, what people believe and do about their LBP has a strong influence on how long the pain will last and how disabled they will be by it.
Among the most predictive of these beliefs, are fear avoidance beliefs associated with pain-related fear.
Questions you may have regarding your back pain are:
What is this pain?
What caused this pain?
What might be the consequences of this pain?
How can I control this pain?
How long will this pain last for?
Please get in touch if you would like help taking control of your back pain!
Ceri Jones
Physiotherapist
