In a recent study, Dr. Vertsberger and his colleagues studied a group of 84 individual patients who suffered from chronic lower back pain (CLBP) and had them use positive coping mechanisms for 30 days. Patients would use and chart these positive coping mechanisms to see how it would help them through their daily lives. Dr. Vertsberger had them rate their daily pain levels on a scale of 0 to 100, 0 being no pain at all, and 100 being the worst pain imaginable. The mean pain intensity was 45.26 amongst the entire group of 84 patients. Patients used these coping mechanisms pain rumination, reappraisal, and distraction. The researchers hypothesized that by using these coping strategies would moderate the associations between pain and the interference of pain with daily activities but in different ways. In some cases the findings that patients who use pain rumination as a strategy are more likely to suffer from their pain would not surprise most clinicians and pain medicine researchers. One of Dr. Vertsbergers colleagues Dr. Stearns, was quoted on the other two forms of pain mechanisms saying, “This study used pain diaries to show that pain reappraisal is the most helpful strategy for reducing people’s suffering related to chronic low back pain. Distraction is likely not as helpful, and rumination is probably harmful.”
Which Coping Strategies Improve Lower Back Pain Symptoms?
