WHY ARE WE AFRAID? The Psychology of Back Pain
H ave you ever heard the phrase, “It’s all in your head?” I’ve heard it numerous times, often from other medical professionals when they describe a patient to me. I don’t mean to offend with this phrase, because pain is a very real thing. But it’s also a phenomenon that occurs in the mind, and the mind can be changed. The main driving point for most pain is fear. Nine out of 10 people would say their back is the area of their body they’re most afraid of injuring. We associate back injuries with disability, loss of function, and poor quality of life. Why are we afraid? Like everything else, it stems from a fear of the unknown. Things we don’t understand scare us, and the back is a large and complicated component of your body that houses the spine and affects just about everything. When I had my first back injury, I was burdened with fear. Was my entire life going to change? Could I make it worse? I found that overcoming the fear involves learning, accountability, and control.
Let’s say you want to jump into a pool, but you don’t know how deep the water is. Someone yells, “It’s 20 feet deep!” Then, everything changes. You don’t hesitate to jump. Why?
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You had learned more about the situation. The new knowledge made you feel in control.
• That control made you feel accountable for whether you jumped or not.
The more you learn about your back pain, the more control you have over the pain, and the more it’s up to you whether you feel better. Seek advice from the experts. Dr. Google is no substitute for a blog written by a medical professional. When I learned how to combat the symptoms of my first back injury, I wasn’t just unfearful — I was invigorated. I wanted to beat the symptoms, and I knew how to do it. It took discipline, but I used learning to take control and become accountable. If you seek advice from experts, I know the same will happen for you!
Take a Break
Avocado and Cucumber Cold Soup
Ingredients
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Olive oil
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1 lemon, juiced
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2 medium ripe avocados, halved
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½ cup cold water
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1 clove garlic
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1 large cucumber, halved
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¾ teaspoon salt
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6 stalks spring onions
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½ teaspoon black pepper
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1 jalapeno
Directions
1. Preheat grill to medium-high. 2. Coat halved avocados with lemon juice to avoid browning. Brush olive oil over avocados, cucumber, spring onions, and jalapeno. Oil grill while hot. 3. Grill vegetables until everything is grilled or slightly charred. Once grilled, remove and place on platter to cool. 4. Chop grilled veggies and puree with lemon juice, cold water, garlic, salt, and black pepper. 5. Once smooth, portion soup into bowls and refrigerate to cool before serving. 6. Garnish with toasted cubed bread, avocados, spring onions, chives, lemon zest, or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
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