Lower back pain related to emotional status

May 16, 2004

Do You Struggle With Back Pain?

In reference to:

Spine May 15,2004;29(10):1112-7

Abstract at:

ct & list_uids=15131439

Commentary:

Most adults in the United States will experience disabling lower back pain

at least once in their lives, but their doctors frequently can't find a

specific physical cause. In a four-year investigation that followed

patients who initially had no lower back pain, Standford researchers

studied their subjects' spines using both disc injection and magnetic

resonance imaging, or MRI. And they also got to know their research

subjects through psychological evaluations. It turned out that

psychological factors more accurately predicted who would develop lower

back pain than the two diagnostic techniques.

In people both with and without back pain, MRI can detect cracks or tears

in the spongy cartilage disc that cushions each unit of the spine. Some

doctors also have suggested that if a patient feels pain when fluid is

injected into one of the spine's discs in a procedure called discography,

the patient will soon develop back pain even if he or she doesn't already

feel discomfort. The researchers found that patients with poor coping

skills - as measured by psychological testing - or with chronic pain were

nearly three times more likely to develop back pain compared to those with

neither. A history of disputed workers' compensation claims also predicted

future back pain. Meanwhile, a crack in the disc or a " high-intensity zone "

seen on MRI was weakly associated with back pain, but the result was not

statistically significant. " The structural problems were really overwhelmed

by the psychosocial factors.

This study confirms the findings of Dr. John Sarno. He is a psychiatrist

who has a greater than 80% success rate using mind body techniques to treat

low back patients with the worst type of back pain. His specialty is those

who have already had surgery for low back pain and still have it. To me

this is one tough group of patients, yet he has a greater than 80% success

rate using techniques like EFT. He has written a few books on the subject

if you struggle in this area. Alternatively though you might want to

consider an EFT practitioner in your area if back pain is a challenge for you.

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