Group "talking therapy" sessions can help ease back pain

London, Feb 26 (ANI): Individuals suffering from chronic lower back pain may find relief through a form of group "talking therapy", a UK trial has shown.

In the study by Universities of Warwick and Oxford researchers which involved 600 patients, the positive effect was still seen a year after the short six-session therapy programme, The Lancet reported.

The patients were also offered standard GP treatment including pain medication, reports The BBC.

The sessions were designed to tackle "unhelpful" beliefs around back pain and physical activity and help patients better manage their condition. They were set up to discuss beliefs around doing physical activity and counter negative thoughts about back pain and its restrictions as well as relaxation techniques.

The one-and-a-half-hour sessions were also designed to help people overcome "fear" of hurting themselves more and how to get active again whilst avoiding flare-ups.

Study author Zara Hansen, a clinical research fellow at the University of Warwick, said: "The exciting bit here is that with a lot of back pain interventions, you'll get a feel-good factor and patients will feel better while they're undergoing the treatment but it's a short-term effect.

"But we showed they improve up to six months and then this is maintained for up to a year as they learn to manage their condition." (ANI)