Mental Attitude

Recomendations Follow the established ergonomic and postural hygiene norms. Exercise Keep physically active Keep a positive and courageous Mental attitude Follow other general health norms

Once there has been an episode of back pain, there is a higher risk of the pain lasting longer and returning more easily in those who have an evasive attitude toward the pain. This attitude includes:

• Mistakenly believing that the pain reflects the existence of an injury in the structure of the spinal column.
• Reducing the level of physical activity because of fear of pain, including staying home from work.
• Thinking of the future in catastrophic terms, believing erroneously that the pain will always limit one's quality of life.
• Abusing the use of medications, specially tranquilizers.

Conversely, symptoms last less time and are less prone to return in those who face their pain. This attitude implies:

• Knowing that the pain does not reflect the existence of an injury, only a malfunctioning of the musculature.
• Maintaining as high a level of activity as possible and continuing to work, avoiding only those activities which the pain specifically prohibits.
• Knowing that the pain tends to improve with time and, including those cases in which this is not so, that one adapts one's life to it and does not allow the pain to dictate.
• Not taking medications, or taking them only briefly in exceptional cases where the discomfort worsens for short-lived periods of time.