A big two page spread in the Daily Mail today caught my eye – obviously – as it purports to help you to ‘Beat back pain for ever’ – and I thought I might learn something new to pass on to you all.
Imagine my disappointment – not at the content of the article which is an extract from a book by two physiotherapists – David Rogers and Grahame Brown – but by the fact that it is NOTHING new at all!
At the Avenue Clinic, we have been telling you all for years that if you have chronic back pain, the best way to deal with it is to use the following approach:
1. Come to see us for treatment when you feel that you need some help and we will also help support you to develop confidence that you ARE able to do a lot of things without developing back pain as a result. We will help you to realise that you don’t need to be treated with ‘kid gloves’ and instead you need to stop focusing on the pain and worrying that it will come back – the brain feels threatened by thoughts like that and the danger messages promote the growth of more neurons that make your brain ever more sensitive to pain… so you feel it more!
2. We will show you APPROPRIATE exercises to suit your condition.
3. We will teach you how you BREATHE and reinforce the importance of breathing – yes we all do it but so many of us are not doing it right!
4. You can be taught how to destress yourself by self hypnosis that focuses your mind on something other than your pain.
5. We will explain the real meaning of the following phrases for your day to day life – ‘You have disc degeneration‘ or ‘You have osteoporosis‘ or ‘You have arthritis’ – these are just names – they should not be allowed to overtake your life – “I can’t do that because I have disc degeneration” should be replaced by “My chiropractor has shown me how to strengthen my muscles and told me how I can do this safely”. You will then gradually be able to replace fear of causing pain with ‘I know now that can do this particular activity safely’.
The book is full of great advice but we are here for you at the Avenue Clinic when you need to talk rather than just read about how to help yourself!
Back to Life: How to Unlock Your Pathway To Recovery (When Back Pain Persists). Published by Vermilion on August 4th £12.99.