Chronic back pain is a fact of life for many people. Car accidents, injuries, and degenerative diseases all create the perfect storm of chronic back pain that makes normal physical activities nearly unbearable.

Chronic Pain is a Chronic Problem

Chronic pain itself impacts more than 45 million Americans despite today’s incredible medical advances. Many researchers believe this is because chronic pain is still not entirely well understood or appreciated. Patients learn to “live with” the pain, and some skeptics believe that it’s “all in their head.” But the truth of the matter is that chronic pain is a major problem; it interrupts daily life activities, it creates a dependency on medication, and it causes unspeakable discomfort.

New treatments are now on the horizon to help patients overcome chronic back pain, and they may not be what you think!

New Chronic Back Pain Treatments

According to a recent study, mindfulness-based stress reduction training and cognitive behavioral therapy both helped patients with chronic back pain to alleviate their discomfort and eliminate some of their chronic lower back pain.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction is a training technique developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center that harnesses meditation and yoga to create a sense of completely open mindfulness. The theory of this stress reduction technique is based on the idea that greater awareness of the mind and body, blended with unconscious thoughts, spirits, and emotions, can positively impact physiological processes to reverse the power of chronic pain.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, meanwhile, is a short-term psychotherapy treatment based on goals that help participants take a practical approach to solving certain problems. This form of healing aims to change patterns of thinking and behavior in order to resolve the issue of pain.

According to a March 2016 study, both groups demonstrated clinically significant improvement compared to normal treatment. While mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioral therapy aren’t stand-alone treatments for chronic back pain, they can both definitely supplement existing methods to help patients recover and live a life of consistent comfort.