Vancouver Back Pain Patients Tips for Waiting on Relief: Walking, Breathing, Walking
Liminality. A time of waiting. A time of transition. The holidays have many of us transitioning and waiting to holiday gatherings and a new year. Back pain has many of us Vancouver back pain and neck pain sufferers waiting and transitioning on the arrival of pain relief, too. The waiting is sometimes the hardest part. Waiting for the big holiday and waiting for the relief of back pain or neck pain are accompanied by anticipation. Exercising, breathing, and walking are positive ways to deal with the liminality. Vancouver Disc Centers is right there with our Vancouver chiropractic patients as they wait.
HOW TO HELP YOURSELF THROUGH BACK PAIN’S LIMINALITY
Back pain specialists will frequently prescribe ice/heat/exercise for home care. New studies are describing how deep breathing exercises (especially the pursed-lips version which patients reported as more calming and pleasant with a more sense of control) (1), diaphragmatic deep breathing (6 breaths per minute for 10 minutes two times a day for 4 weeks effectively produced positive outcomes to improve autonomic function by decreasing sympathetic activity) (2), and long-distance walking (which allowed for time to enter a ‘liminal space’ to reflect on one’s struggles, relish some calmness, and process current feelings) (3) are beneficial. Vancouver Disc Centers encourages any of these ideas to augment the healing, pain-relieving course of action with Vancouver chiropractic services.
LIMINALITY IN BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA CARE
An interesting outcome from a study done in the UK - SCOPiC (SCiatica Outcomes in Primary Care) – described the thoughtful state of ‘liminality’ many sciatica or sciatic leg pain sufferers employ to manage their pain and its recovery path. Researchers interviewed sciatic low back pain sufferers. Sciatica comes with its own unique set of issues in terms of its persistence and severity of symptoms. Researchers explained the concept of “biographical suspension” as it pertains to sciatica patients who seem to put life on hold while expecting an ultimate return to their former, pain-free selves, holding onto hope while also managing worry. This is a type of ‘liminality’, the time between pre- and post-pain, strengthened by a belief that sciatica is a passing problem that is fixable, not a long-term disease. Even those who experienced sciatic leg pain for a while maintained this belief. (4) Vancouver Disc Centers is manytimes amazed by the persistence of back pain and leg pain sufferers to discover something that works for them. They oftentimes consult many different types of healthcare providers and try many different approaches as they are confident that there is help. Vancouver back pain and Vancouver leg pain patients are often relieved when they get to Vancouver Disc Centers as we take the time to clearly explain the spinal problem, its treatment, its expected outcome, and its treatment plan comprising the frequency of visits and the expected timeframe for relief. The 50% Rule guides both: 50% subjective relief (how you feel) along with 50% objective relief (via specific test findings) reduce the treatment plan frequency by 50% (ex: daily visits change to every other day). Vancouver Disc Centers constantly monitors the back and leg pain sufferer’s progress toward pain relief with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Robert Patterson on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the role of patient expectations in their pain relief via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your next Vancouver chiropractic appointment soon. Waiting while transitioning from pain to pain-relief is a time of hope mixed with a little concern. Vancouver Disc Centers understands this and has the experience in walking this path with our low back pain and sciatica patients. Liminality need not be endured alone!
