Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn Helps Back Pain Sufferers Fight Fear Avoidance and Move More

Fear of back pain? Once you’ve experienced it, you answer “yes!” Your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractor totally understands this. Ashburn and Herndon back pain and neck pain patients do not want to experience that pain again. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn helps spine pain sufferers regain their confidence with encouragement and exercise. 

FEAR AVOIDANCE DUE TO BACK PAIN

Back pain sufferers don't want to revisit back pain if they have any options at all. That desire - whether obvious or subtle, stated or just ruminated in the mind – establishes the ‘perfect storm’ for a behavior called fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically induced or not – provoked high levels of fear avoidance, anxiety, and depression. (1) Researchers noted that the pain experience is not just physical as emotions, behaviors and beliefs are involved as well. Fear avoidant behavior like fearing object lifting grows and affects 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 volunteers. Fear of lifting an object with a flexed spine as documented in a questionnaire was negatively related with erector spinae activity to protect the spine from injury. 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) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn knows the significance of managing fear avoidance and its link to better quality of life.

HOW TO MANAGE FEAR AVOIDANCE

Researchers documented that back pain sufferers today ‘get’ that they must keep active but some require a bit more support and encouragement to move and exercise due to a lack of confidence in their bodies’ ability to exercise without triggering pain. The healthcare provider not only can offer 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, Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is your trainer! We are a team and can help you move easier and with less fear and deliver gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. 12 weeks of chiropractic manipulation along with exercise for older adults with chronic back pain improved their self-efficacy and fear-avoidant behaviors together with decreases 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 us work together to control your Ashburn and Herndon back pain so it does not control you. 

CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn

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 Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic appointment soon so that if you are questioned whether you fear back pain, you can say “no”!