Affected by chronic back pain? Researchers say a brain-based treatment could possibly be effective in reducing its severity.

People experience pain for various reasons, but there are instances wherein some experience physical pain with none definite cause. In such cases, managing one’s perspective concerning the brain’s role in chronic pain could help them cope with it higher.

A latest study, published in JAMA Network Open, showed that individuals with chronic back pain who underwent a treatment called pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) began seeing their pain as stemming from their mind (thoughts) or brain (body). The participants felt a discount within the intensity of the pain after the therapy session.

All pain originates from neural circuits within the brain. Due to this fact, having a greater understanding of this intricate mind-body connection may be vital in effectively managing and reducing its intensity.

In the most recent study, researchers examined the critical link between the brain and pain. Their focus was specifically on pain attributions, which represent people’s beliefs concerning the root causes of their pain. Using PRT, the team tried to make people understand that the reason for their chronic pain is usually within the brain or mind.

A complete of 150 adults with moderately severe chronic back pain participated within the study. They were randomly assigned into three groups that received PRT, an inactive placebo injection or usual care.

Participants reported a major reduction within the intensity of their back pain after receiving PRT. Two-thirds of the participants who underwent PRT were nearly or completely pain-free after just 4 weeks, in comparison with fewer than one-fifth of those that received a placebo or standard care.

At first of the study, only 10% of participants across all three groups attributed the causes of their pain to the mind or brain. This figure rose to 51% in individuals who underwent PRT by the tip of the treatment period, while only 8% of participants within the placebo and usual care groups held similar beliefs after 4 weeks.

Researchers found that the more participants shifted their perspective to acknowledge the mind/brain factor, the lesser the intensity of their back pain became. The findings make clear the effectiveness of PRT in reshaping beliefs and reducing the severity of chronic back pain.

“Hundreds of thousands of persons are experiencing chronic pain and lots of have not found ways to assist with the pain, making it clear that something is missing in the way in which we’re diagnosing and treating people,” study first creator Yoni Ashar, assistant professor of internal medicine on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said in a news release.

“We found that only a few people believed their brains had anything to do with their pain,” he added. “This may be unhelpful and hurtful in relation to planning for recovery, since pain attributions guide major treatment decisions, equivalent to whether to get surgery or psychological treatment.”

Ashar underlines PRT’s role in helping people understand their pain signals are essentially “false alarms” that they do not have to be afraid of.

“The take-home message [from this study] for individuals with chronic pain is that because pain is processed within the brain and these networks usually are not hardwired, there are things they’ll do to assist reset a few of these networks and reduce the experience of pain,” Afton L. Hassett, associate professor and director of clinical pain research within the Department of Anesthesiology on the University of Michigan, told Healthline.

People coping with chronic pain often find themselves trapped in an countless cycle: Pain serves as a catalyst for fear, triggering a heightened state of alertness within the brain. This heightened state can intensify the pain much more, further fueling their fear, and the cycle continues.

“Pain is processed within the brain using lots of the same structures and networks as those used for processing thoughts and emotions. That is why once we feel frightened or sad, our pain can feel much worse,” said Hassett, who was not a part of the study.

Nonetheless, the alternative holds true as well: Positive thoughts and emotions have the potential to cut back the sentiments of chronic pain.

“If you’ve gotten pain and end up laughing with a friend or deeply engaged in doing something you’re keen on, you may not notice and even feel your pain,” added Hassett.

Published by Medicaldaily.com