With today's widespread internet access, more and more patients are resorting to online support and discussion groups for answers to questions and emotional support.
Still, some chronic pain patients are resistant to the idea of support groups; the concept brings to mind wallowing, wasted time and a "community of victims," bound by nothing but mutual suffering.
Online discussion and support groups have much more to offer than a shared space to wallow in, particularly those that are moderated by experts and geared toward positivity and constructive conversation.
Advantages There are many benefits you can reap from an online support or discussion group, from emotional support to practical advice.
Consider the following: • 24/7 accessibility: Whether it's 6am or midnight, you can access an online discussion group.
You can read comments at your own pace, pick topics that interest you most and submit your questions, experiences or venting sessions at any time.
There are no transportation or scheduling issues.
• As an invisible illness, chronic pain often comes with a lot of misunderstanding among the general population.
You've likely encountered people who doubt your pain or in some way invalidate your experience.
Online communities help you receive validation, and to learn that you're far from alone.
• You may even learn something useful for your condition.
Whether it's a treatment you hadn't heard of, a nugget of insurance advice or some practical advice concerning a product that makes life a little easier, the experience of others may be instructive to you.
• You have nothing to lose by trying it out.
If it's not your cup of tea, opting out is as simple as closing a webpage or asking to no longer receive emails.
Back in 1998, a team of researchers sought to test the benefits of an online email discussion group for patients with recurrent back pain.
They enrolled over 500 patients in an email discussion group; it should be noted that participants were also given an educational book on back pain and a video that encouraged activity.
A control group received none of these things.
At the end of one year, 64% of the discussion group participants completed a survey for analysis compared to 81% of the control group.
Disability and health distress scores were reduced almost twice as much in the test group; test participants had significantly better self-efficacy scores as well.
There were small but notable improvements in the areas of function, self-care and pain interference as well among the email group participants.
Finally, the test group had notably lower health care utilization (doctor's visits, chiropractor visits, physical therapy visits and days in the hospital) than the control group.
Learn more about this study at http://www.
ncbi.
nlm.
nih.
gov/pubmed/11926853.
This study suggests that, combined with education, a discussion group can improve your life with back pain both physically and emotionally.
Since there's nothing to lose, consider checking out a discussion group such as http://www.
spine-health.
com/forum/pain/lower-back-pain today.
Still, some chronic pain patients are resistant to the idea of support groups; the concept brings to mind wallowing, wasted time and a "community of victims," bound by nothing but mutual suffering.
Online discussion and support groups have much more to offer than a shared space to wallow in, particularly those that are moderated by experts and geared toward positivity and constructive conversation.
Advantages There are many benefits you can reap from an online support or discussion group, from emotional support to practical advice.
Consider the following: • 24/7 accessibility: Whether it's 6am or midnight, you can access an online discussion group.
You can read comments at your own pace, pick topics that interest you most and submit your questions, experiences or venting sessions at any time.
There are no transportation or scheduling issues.
• As an invisible illness, chronic pain often comes with a lot of misunderstanding among the general population.
You've likely encountered people who doubt your pain or in some way invalidate your experience.
Online communities help you receive validation, and to learn that you're far from alone.
• You may even learn something useful for your condition.
Whether it's a treatment you hadn't heard of, a nugget of insurance advice or some practical advice concerning a product that makes life a little easier, the experience of others may be instructive to you.
• You have nothing to lose by trying it out.
If it's not your cup of tea, opting out is as simple as closing a webpage or asking to no longer receive emails.
Back in 1998, a team of researchers sought to test the benefits of an online email discussion group for patients with recurrent back pain.
They enrolled over 500 patients in an email discussion group; it should be noted that participants were also given an educational book on back pain and a video that encouraged activity.
A control group received none of these things.
At the end of one year, 64% of the discussion group participants completed a survey for analysis compared to 81% of the control group.
Disability and health distress scores were reduced almost twice as much in the test group; test participants had significantly better self-efficacy scores as well.
There were small but notable improvements in the areas of function, self-care and pain interference as well among the email group participants.
Finally, the test group had notably lower health care utilization (doctor's visits, chiropractor visits, physical therapy visits and days in the hospital) than the control group.
Learn more about this study at http://www.
ncbi.
nlm.
nih.
gov/pubmed/11926853.
This study suggests that, combined with education, a discussion group can improve your life with back pain both physically and emotionally.
Since there's nothing to lose, consider checking out a discussion group such as http://www.
spine-health.
com/forum/pain/lower-back-pain today.