Liminality. A time of waiting. A
time of transition. The holidays have many of us transitioning and
waiting to holiday get-togethers
and a new year. Back pain has many of us Manchester back pain
and neck pain sufferers transitioning and waiting
on a state of pain relief, too.
The waiting is sometimes the toughest
part. Waiting for the big holiday and waiting for the relief of back pain or neck pain are packed with
anticipation. Exercising, breathing, and walking are beneficial
ways to deal with the liminality. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is right there
with our Manchester 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 (particularly
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 a month
effectively produced positive outcomes to enhance
autonomic function by reducing sympathetic activity) (2), and
long-distance walking (which allocated time to enter a ‘liminal space’ to ponder on one’s
struggles, find calmness, and embrace
current feelings) (3) are useful.
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries encourages any of these ideas to
augment the healing, pain-relieving course of action
with Manchester 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. The study has researchers
interview low back and sciatica sufferers. Sciatica arrives with
its own distinctive group of issues in terms of its
persistence and symptom severity. Researchers described
the concept of “biographical suspension” as it related
to sciatica patients who seem to put life on hold while expecting an
eventual return to their previous, pain-free
selves, holding onto hope while also handling worry.
This is a type of ‘liminality’, the time between pre- and post-pain,
strengthened by a belief that sciatica is temporary and fixable, not a long-term illness.
Even those who experienced sciatic leg pain for a while
kept this belief. (4) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is often
awestruck by the persistence of back pain and leg pain sufferers
to discover something that works for them. They oftentimes
talk with many different types of healthcare
providers and try many different approaches as they are
confident that there is help. Manchester back pain and
Manchester leg pain patients often find that relief when they finally
arrive at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries as we take
the time to clearly explain the spinal problem, its treatment,
its anticipated outcome, and its treatment plan including 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) decrease
the treatment plan frequency by 50% (ex: daily visits change to
every other day). Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries constantly monitors
the back and leg pain sufferer’s progress toward pain relief with the Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Robert Patterson on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses the role of patient expectations in their
pain relief via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your next Manchester
chiropractic appointment today. Waiting while transitioning from
pain to pain-relief is a time of hope combined with a
little concern. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries knows this and has
the experience in walking this path with our low back pain
and sciatica patients. Liminality need not be experienced alone!