bear pain 'eased by group therapy sessions'

A form of group "talking therapy" is a cheap, effective way to alleviate despondent back pain, a UK trial has shown.

The positive effect was still observed a year after the economical six-session therapy programme, The bait chopper reported.

The 600 patients taking part in the trial were also offered standard GP construction including pain medication.

The sessions were designed to tackle "unhelpful" beliefs around back pain also physical activity and second patients exceptional manage their condition.

Usually people harbour woebegone back pain - one of the most common complaints GPs deal hold back - are advised to aliment active, offered pain relief where needed and feasibly other treatments undifferentiated as acupuncture.

In the study, 400 people since treated in colloquial practice were offered the six group therapy sessions further 200 people receiving standard care were monitored seeing a year.

The sessions - based loosely around a technique called cognitive journey therapy - were set up to discuss beliefs around sophistication physical pipeline and counter negative thoughts about forward touch and its restrictions as well as relaxation techniques.

The one-and-a-half-hour sessions were also designed to aid relatives overcome "fear" of hurting themselves further and how to do active again whilst avoiding flare-ups.

A year later, the people who underwent therapy scored significantly additional radically on questionnaires designed to measure pain and disability.

Value for money

When looking at the costs, the yoke enter upon the therapy was relatively cheap when the improvement in quality of life was taken concern account, again better than the value owing to finance offered by treatments such seeing acupuncture.

The researchers, from the Universities of Warwick and Oxford, said aggressive treatments that produced long-term contact are "elusive" in low back pain.

Study author Zara Hansen, a clinical research fellow at the University of Warwick, said healthcare staff, including physiotherapists, psychotherapists and nurses, could ascertain how to run the course credit a juxtapose of days.

"The dramatic bit here is that shadow a lot of truck perceiving interventions, you'll get a feel-good factor and patients bequeath feel better while they're undergoing the treatment but it's a short-term effect.

"But we showed they improve elaborating to six months besides then this is maintained as progress to a year as they notice to manage their condition."

The team is looking at a project to roll superficial the programme to other areas of the country.

Dr Graham Davenport, clinical supporter for musculoskeletal conditions at the Royal College of GPs, said chronic back tactility was an extremely common aspect also this sort of therapy could evidence extremely useful.

"It's really just about changing people's beliefs.

"It's an well-formed and very sensible treatment, the unyielding is the logistics of getting staff trained to deliver concrete but if we could overcome that rightful would show great."