Fitness Consider the following beliefs about lower back pain: • ‘My back is unstable’ • ‘I’ll never get better’ • ‘My back is out of alignment’. If left unattended, these thought patterns can create more unease in the body and in turn, actually increase pain. Beliefs which can create ‘safety’ signals include: • Physical inactivity: doing less than 150 minutes of moderate activity per week increases the risk of lower back pain, amongst many other health conditions. • Catastrophising: beliefs that your back is ‘broken’ and never going to improve, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. • Fear-avoidance: the more you are worried about doing, the less activity you will end up doing, which is not helpful in the long term. • Work satisfaction: studies have repeatedly found that being less satisfied with your job is linked with higher rates of lower back pain. Could it be time for a career change?
• ‘I am strong and durable’ • ‘Even though I have a bit of pain, I’m going to go for that walk’ • ‘Motion is lotion for the body’. It takes some time and effort to reframe beliefs, but in the long run, the work is worth it. Some people benefit from having a coach (family member, friend, trusted health professional) to remind them of these beliefs and habits when things get tough. The take home message: Don’t wait until you’re absolutely pain free to get back to doing what you love. By gradually building up strength with exercise, most people find that the lower back pain becomes a whole lot more manageable and life gets much more enjoyable.
3. Mind your mindset Modern pain science supports the observation of thought patterns which may be considered ‘helpful’ and ‘unhelpful’ to long term pain outcomes. The theory is that our thoughts and beliefs can either create ‘danger’ signals within us, or ‘safety’ signals. 24 | GREAT HEALTH GUIDE
Jennifer Smallridge is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at Upwell Health Collective in Camberwell, Victoria; as well as an Academic Lecturer in the fields of Exercise Science and Functional Human Anatomy elopment. SUBSCRIBE