One study reported that a course of cognitive-behavioral therapy helped reduce chronic back pain and enhanced the patients' ability to deal with it. The primary goal of cognitive therapy in such cases is to change the distorted perceptions that patients have of themselves and their approach to pain. Using specific tasks and self-observation, patients gradually shift their fixed ideas that they are helpless against the pain that dominates their lives to the perception that pain is only one negative and, to a degree, a manageable experience among many positive ones. In the study, therapists also taught relaxation techniques and methods to improve posture. The sessions were two and a half hours each week for 12 weeks.
More research is needed.
Alternative Treatments Acupuncture, which involves inserting small pins or exerting pressure on certain points in the body, has relieved pain in some people. One well-conducted study found significant benefits from acupuncture for chronic low back pain, although another reported few benefits for sciatica. Stress management and biofeedback techniques may also be helpful, although studies have not yet confirmed any benefits. Low Back Pain . All rights reserved.