Neck Pain, Depression, and CBT

neck pain depression cbt

Could CBT break the vicious cycle of chronic neck pain and depression?

Neck Pain and depression are often interlinked with some studies showing a four-fold increase in the risk of depression in those with chronic pain. The connection between the two conditions is often extremely complex, involving the immune system, endocrine system, and neurotransmitters, as well as psychosocial factors and other problems that may go unrecognized and, therefore, unaddressed. Many patients feel that their doctor has simply given up on identifying the cause of their pain if they suggest that it has a psychological root but oftentimes this is the case and may provide the answer where countless medications, physical therapies, and even neck surgery have failed to resolve the chronic neck pain. Read more

Exercise for Fibromyalgia – New Research

exercise for fibromyalgia

Low-intensity water therapy for fibromyalgia can help with pain relief.

Exercising with fibromyalgia can be both difficult and rewarding so whilst many patients understand that living with fibromyalgia might be easier with regular exercise it is often hard to get going when fatigued and in pain. Research by Georgetown University scientists presented at the Society for Neuroscience’s latest conference might help provide a little extra motivation for patients however as they reveal that six weeks of aerobic exercise helps relieve pain in patients discontinuing their analgesics medications. Fibromyalgia and neck pain are connected in some patients although such pain should not simply be attributed to fibromyalgia without proper investigation; in some cases neck pain may be due to an additional problem such as spinal stenosis which could be treated using alternative interventions to those suitable for fibromyalgia. Read more