New Mind-Body Therapy Provides Stunning Relief for Chronic Back Pain
The brain can generate pain in the absence of injury, but what the brain can learn, it can unlearn.
Chronic pain is one of the biggest health problems today, affecting more than one-fifth of all American adults — 50 million people. And the most common type of chronic pain? The kind I endure — low back pain.
Aching backs are among patients’ most frequent complaints. Back pain lasting more than three months affects some 16 million Americans —more than 8 percent of all adults, often limiting everyday activities and prompting desperate quests for relief.
My case is not as bad as many. I’m able to continue to work and exercise, albeit with caution. But my chronic hip pain has been sapping my sleep for years.
Eager for answers, I underwent X-rays and an MRI of my lumbar and cervical spine. The resulting radiology report found no tumors, infections, or fractures. But it did identify several frightening-sounding conditions, including “facet arthropathy,” “degenerative discs,” and “disc bulges.”
I shared my report with my physical therapist. To my surprise, he recommended not only exercises but also a new mind-body therapy called Pain Reprocessing Therapy or PRT.
