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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffPain affects more than just your physical well-being. If you have to deal with recurring herniated disks or other back problems, your psychological and emotional health also are vulnerable. These tips may help you cope with pain related to a herniated disk:
- Acknowledge the pain. Some people try to pretend their chronic pain doesn't exist. In the process, they may actually make it worse. You may have more success in coping if you affirm that your pain isn't imaginary and make necessary adjustments to accommodate it.
- Manage stress. Stress magnifies pain. Try doing deep-breathing exercises and practicing other relaxation techniques when your stress level begins to rise.
- Identify pain triggers. Certain activities or behaviors may worsen your pain. If you identify these triggers, you can avoid or limit them.
- Use cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you recognize and rethink unrealistic expectations and beliefs about yourself. It teaches you to interrupt unhealthy, self-perpetuating cycles of thought, emotion and behavior. Even if you can't change your chronic pain, you can change the way you feel about it. Talk to your doctor for more information.
References
- 1. Herniated Disc. NeurosurgeryToday.org. http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/herniated.asp. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008.
- 2. Chou R. Patient Information: Low back pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- 3. Wheeler SG, et al. Approach to the diagnosis and evaluation of low back pain in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- 4. What is back pain? National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/back_pain_ff.pdf. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008
- 5. Hu SS, et al. Disorders, diseases and injuries of the spine. In: Skinner HD. Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Orthopedicas. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2319599. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008.
- 6. Herniated disk. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00334&return_link=0. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008.
- 7. Chou R. Subacute and chronic low back pain: Pharmacologic and noninterventional treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- 8. Knight CL, et al. Treatment of low acute back pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- 9. Health care guideline: Adult low back pain. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. http://www.icsi.org/low_back_pain/adult_low_back_pain__8.html. Accessed Oct. 15, 2008.
- 10. Shelerud RA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 12, 2008.
- 11. Heliovaara M. Body height, obesity, and risk of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. Spine. 1987;12(5):469-472.
