therapy before other treatments were
89 percent less likely to need opioids
and 15 percent less likely to end up in
the emergency room.Harness Your Mind
Pain scientists are looking closely at
an all-too-common mind-set called
catastrophizing. “It’s normal to pro-
tect your back when it hurts,” Delitto
explains. “But for some people, this
leads to worry that any movement will
do more damage. So people stop ex-
ercising, stop going to work, stop do-
ing everyday activities. That leads to
weaker muscles, stiffer joints, weight
gain, and depression and anxiety.”
Catastrophizing plays a major role
in whether acute back pain becomes
chronic and how well people respond
to treatment. It has also been linked
to greater dependence on opioids.
Catastrophizing may even feed into
“central sensitization,” a cruel feed-
back loop in which the brain inter-
prets little twinges as agony.
“Research shows that when catas-
trophizing is treated, pain inten-
sity decreases. Daily functioning
improves. And the structure of the
brain in areas involved with pain pro-
cessing actually changes, so that the
benefits persist,” Darnall says.
Mind-body therapies such as medi-
tation, progressive muscle relaxation,
and deep breathing help calm yournervous system so it doesn’t react as
strongly to pain. CBT, which helps you
spot negative thoughts and craft posi-
tive alternatives, can stop the cycle of
fear.
“Thoughts like ‘I can’t do any of the
things I love because of my pain’ can
be replaced with thoughts like ‘There
are many things I can do today de-
spite my pain’ and ‘Even though I feel
challenged right now, I can use sev-
eral strategies to help calm and soothe
myself,’” Darnall explains.It doesn’t take much time to make
a difference. In a 2014 study of
76 women and men with a variety of
chronic pain problems, Darnall found
that just one two-hour session of CBT
helped participants catastrophize less
within a month.Make Deep Sleep a Priority
Nearly six in ten people with back
pain say it interferes with sleep, which
sets off a vicious circle. “Sleep is our
body’s way of natural recovery,” notes
Kevin Ho, lead researcher of the Uni-
versity of Sydney’s MusculoskeletalDISRUPTED SLEEP
MAY AFFECT PAIN
SENSITIVITY AND
INFLAMMATION.74 april 2020
Reader’s Digest