Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC Helps Back Pain Sufferers Fight Fear Avoidance and Move More
Fear of back pain? Once you’ve experienced it, you say “yes!” Your La Grande chiropractor totally understands this. La Grande back pain and neck pain patients do not want to experience that pain again. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC helps spine pain sufferers get their confidence back with encouragement and exercise.
FEAR AVOIDANCE DUE TO BACK PAIN
Back pain sufferers don't want to revisit back pain if they can help it. That desire - whether obvious or subtle, stated or just ruminated in the mind – sets up the situation for a behavior known as fear-avoidance. Patients with persistent spinal pain syndrome - post-surgically generated or not – elicited high levels of fear avoidance, anxiety, and depression. (1) Researchers explained that the pain experience isn't 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 use of lumbar paraspinal muscle activity while lifting in both back pain and in pain-free persons. 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 discussed 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 giving rise to muscle fatigue and pain. (2) Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC knows the significance of managing fear avoidance and its link to better quality of life.
HOW TO MANAGE FEAR AVOIDANCE
Researchers wrote 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 provide the latest findings on pain control but also coach the back pain patient to be physical in the safest way possible. (3) If you’re that patient, Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is your trainer! We’re a team and can help you move easier and with less fear and provide gentle, relieving spinal manipulation. Three months of chiropractic manipulation and exercise for older adults with chronic back pain improved their self-efficacy and fear-avoidant behaviors along with decreases in disability. A 30% or more reduction in the Oswestry Disability Index indicated 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’s work together to control your La Grande back pain so it does not control you.
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Tom Menendez on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for an older patient with back pain for whom fear avoidance is understandable.
Schedule your La Grande chiropractic appointment now so that if you are questioned whether you fear back pain, you can say “no”!
