Can low back pain be an easy fix? Lancet study finds a long-term therapy that gets you moving
The latest study, published in 'The Lancet Rheumatology,' is significant because it establishes long-term effects of this therapy on people living with back pain. A previous study published in The Lancet found that CFT was more effective than usual care in improving physical activity among individuals with low back pain for up to a year. The current trial is the first to show that these effects can hold up to three years.
It focusses on helping individuals understand their pain experience, modify unhelpful beliefs and behaviour, eliminate the fear that movement is damaging the back further and develop strategies to manage their pain and improve function. 'CFT is a type of psychotherapy and findings of the trial show that long-term benefits can be achieved by self-management skills, pain control strategies and confidence to engage in valued activities apart from adopting a healthier lifestyle,' Prof Mark Hancock from the Spinal Pain Research Centre, Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, said.
Dr Anand Gangwal, associate professor, Sancheti College of Physiotherapy, Pune, says self-management skills are extremely important in case of gradual onset pain, especially low back pain and neck pain. 'This kind of pain develops with micro trauma of the tissue due to our lifestyle and lack of correct posture and exercises. Medically we can't restore the damaged tissues to their original condition, especially as we get older. But we can control and reduce the microtrauma by lifestyle modification. This will help in reducing the rate of degeneration,' he says.
A key component is awareness of what exactly triggers/worsens their pain. That knowledge alone will help patients refrain/modify the activities. 'Along with this a physiotherapist should help in strengthening the supporting structures, so that patients can perform their activities of daily living pain-free. Mental stress, busy schedules, poor nutrition and poor body composition can further worsen chronic pain. All these factors need to be addressed,' Dr Gangwal argues.
Dr Mayur Kardile, consulting spine surgeon, Jehangir Hospital, Pune, has seen patients with low back pain, who are afraid of any movement that causes pain or aggravates it. That kind of fear leads to inactivity and can worsen the pain worse over time. 'The patient gets into a negative feedback loop and this creates a cycle that's hard to break. With CFT, patients are progressively challenged to undergo better exercises, slowly and safely guided to move again and face the things they've been avoiding,' he adds.
This included 492 patients with chronic low back pain in Australia, who were randomly assigned to receive eight treatment sessions of usual care, CFT, or CFT plus biofeedback (a technique using sensors to measure body functions such as heart rate and enable the patient to modify them). Those who received CFT and CFT plus biofeedback saw improvements in their physical activity participation over usual care.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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Can a simple mental shift cure chronic back pain? New scientific study reveals breakthrough in pain relief
What Is CFT and Why Does It Work? You Might Also Like: Walking can relieve your lower back pain, study reveals. But there is a catch Numbers That Matter: Backed by Evidence CFT was more effective than usual care in reducing pain and disability even three years after treatment. Adding biofeedback showed no significant advantage, suggesting that the core value lies in the cognitive approach itself. Participants reported a marked improvement in quality of life and physical activity. You Might Also Like: Back pain is the new pandemic: What's really causing it and 4 moves to get over It The Human Side of Healing A Future Without Pills? In a world saturated with prescriptions, surgeries, and temporary fixes for chronic back pain , a groundbreaking new study is challenging the status quo. Researchers from Australia are offering an unexpected and transformative perspective: the key to long-term relief might be as simple—and as complex—as retraining the popping pills and resigning yourself to lifelong discomfort. According to a report from the Daily Mail, a recent clinical trial led by Macquarie University in Sydney has found that Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT)—a psychologically informed treatment that rewires the way patients perceive and respond to pain—can reduce disability and pain intensity for up to three in The Lancet Rheumatology, this large-scale study is turning heads in the medical community and sparking conversations about a new, holistic path to Functional Therapy blends psychological insights with physical rehabilitation. It focuses on how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence pain and mobility. Unlike traditional care—which often centers on medication or physical adjustments—CFT guides patients to understand their pain triggers, manage fear around movement, and reshape limiting beliefs about their in the study received seven CFT sessions over 12 weeks, along with a follow-up booster session. They were encouraged to gradually reintroduce activities they had long avoided due to fear of pain—restoring confidence as well as trial involved more than 1,000 participants suffering from chronic lower back pain. Three groups were compared: one received CFT, another received CFT plus biofeedback (a technique to control involuntary body functions), and the third group continued with "usual care," such as painkillers and general practitioner results were telling:Researchers called CFT a "high-value, low-risk" intervention with the potential to revolutionize the way we manage chronic up these promising findings, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal by Oxford Academic concluded that CFT offers moderate to high certainty of long-term review examined multiple trials and emphasized that CFT outperformed traditional therapies such as manual therapy, exercise, and education in reducing disability and improving self-efficacy. While results varied based on clinician experience and training, the overall trend pointed to CFT's effectiveness as a sustainable, cost-efficient treatment makes this discovery stand out isn't just the data—it's the philosophy. Instead of seeing chronic back pain purely as a mechanical or biomedical problem, CFT embraces the biopsychosocial model , which recognizes the interplay between mind and millions who feel stuck in a cycle of medication and immobility, this therapy offers hope. It empowers patients not to fight their pain, but to understand and work with it—freeing them from fear, and in many cases, freeing them from pain pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with millions affected each year. In the UK alone, nearly 9 million people live with back pain, according to Arthritis Research UK. Traditional treatments often offer only short-term relief and come with a host of side effects or introduction of CFT could change that narrative. By shifting the focus from short-term symptom management to long-term self-management, this approach could reduce the healthcare burden while giving patients their lives further studies are needed to refine and scale the therapy—especially ensuring consistent training standards for practitioners—CFT is already being hailed as a paradigm shift in pain management
Economic Times
a day ago
- Economic Times
Can a simple mental shift cure chronic back pain? New scientific study reveals breakthrough in pain relief
Synopsis A new study from Australia suggests a novel approach to chronic back pain. Cognitive Functional Therapy or CFT can reduce pain and disability for years. The therapy focuses on changing how patients think and feel about their pain. A trial with over 1,000 participants showed CFT was more effective than standard treatments. It improves quality of life and physical activity. iStock A recent Australian study reveals Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) as a promising alternative to traditional back pain treatments. (Image: iStock) In a world saturated with prescriptions, surgeries, and temporary fixes for chronic back pain, a groundbreaking new study is challenging the status quo. Researchers from Australia are offering an unexpected and transformative perspective: the key to long-term relief might be as simple—and as complex—as retraining the mind. Forget popping pills and resigning yourself to lifelong discomfort. According to a report from the Daily Mail, a recent clinical trial led by Macquarie University in Sydney has found that Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT)—a psychologically informed treatment that rewires the way patients perceive and respond to pain—can reduce disability and pain intensity for up to three years. Published in The Lancet Rheumatology, this large-scale study is turning heads in the medical community and sparking conversations about a new, holistic path to Functional Therapy blends psychological insights with physical rehabilitation. It focuses on how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence pain and mobility. Unlike traditional care—which often centers on medication or physical adjustments—CFT guides patients to understand their pain triggers, manage fear around movement, and reshape limiting beliefs about their in the study received seven CFT sessions over 12 weeks, along with a follow-up booster session. They were encouraged to gradually reintroduce activities they had long avoided due to fear of pain—restoring confidence as well as mobility. The trial involved more than 1,000 participants suffering from chronic lower back pain. Three groups were compared: one received CFT, another received CFT plus biofeedback (a technique to control involuntary body functions), and the third group continued with "usual care," such as painkillers and general practitioner results were telling: CFT was more effective than usual care in reducing pain and disability even three years after treatment. Adding biofeedback showed no significant advantage, suggesting that the core value lies in the cognitive approach itself. Participants reported a marked improvement in quality of life and physical activity. Researchers called CFT a "high-value, low-risk" intervention with the potential to revolutionize the way we manage chronic up these promising findings, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal by Oxford Academic concluded that CFT offers moderate to high certainty of long-term review examined multiple trials and emphasized that CFT outperformed traditional therapies such as manual therapy, exercise, and education in reducing disability and improving self-efficacy. While results varied based on clinician experience and training, the overall trend pointed to CFT's effectiveness as a sustainable, cost-efficient treatment makes this discovery stand out isn't just the data—it's the philosophy. Instead of seeing chronic back pain purely as a mechanical or biomedical problem, CFT embraces the biopsychosocial model, which recognizes the interplay between mind and millions who feel stuck in a cycle of medication and immobility, this therapy offers hope. It empowers patients not to fight their pain, but to understand and work with it—freeing them from fear, and in many cases, freeing them from pain pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with millions affected each year. In the UK alone, nearly 9 million people live with back pain, according to Arthritis Research UK. Traditional treatments often offer only short-term relief and come with a host of side effects or complications. The introduction of CFT could change that narrative. By shifting the focus from short-term symptom management to long-term self-management, this approach could reduce the healthcare burden while giving patients their lives back. While further studies are needed to refine and scale the therapy—especially ensuring consistent training standards for practitioners—CFT is already being hailed as a paradigm shift in pain management.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Can low back pain be an easy fix? Lancet study finds a long-term therapy that gets you moving
Injury, strain, overwork, stress and fatigue led to crippling low back pain for Susan (name changed). 'Life was on hold' for Ann (name changed), who admits that her mindset 'My back is damaged and needs fixing, but there are no answers' led to a loss of confidence. These are some of the views from patients who were part of the RESTORE trial where they describe their journey and how cognitive functional therapy (CFT) helped them gain control over their bodies, pain and face other fears. The latest study, published in 'The Lancet Rheumatology,' is significant because it establishes long-term effects of this therapy on people living with back pain. A previous study published in The Lancet found that CFT was more effective than usual care in improving physical activity among individuals with low back pain for up to a year. The current trial is the first to show that these effects can hold up to three years. It focusses on helping individuals understand their pain experience, modify unhelpful beliefs and behaviour, eliminate the fear that movement is damaging the back further and develop strategies to manage their pain and improve function. 'CFT is a type of psychotherapy and findings of the trial show that long-term benefits can be achieved by self-management skills, pain control strategies and confidence to engage in valued activities apart from adopting a healthier lifestyle,' Prof Mark Hancock from the Spinal Pain Research Centre, Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, said. Dr Anand Gangwal, associate professor, Sancheti College of Physiotherapy, Pune, says self-management skills are extremely important in case of gradual onset pain, especially low back pain and neck pain. 'This kind of pain develops with micro trauma of the tissue due to our lifestyle and lack of correct posture and exercises. Medically we can't restore the damaged tissues to their original condition, especially as we get older. But we can control and reduce the microtrauma by lifestyle modification. This will help in reducing the rate of degeneration,' he says. A key component is awareness of what exactly triggers/worsens their pain. That knowledge alone will help patients refrain/modify the activities. 'Along with this a physiotherapist should help in strengthening the supporting structures, so that patients can perform their activities of daily living pain-free. Mental stress, busy schedules, poor nutrition and poor body composition can further worsen chronic pain. All these factors need to be addressed,' Dr Gangwal argues. Dr Mayur Kardile, consulting spine surgeon, Jehangir Hospital, Pune, has seen patients with low back pain, who are afraid of any movement that causes pain or aggravates it. That kind of fear leads to inactivity and can worsen the pain worse over time. 'The patient gets into a negative feedback loop and this creates a cycle that's hard to break. With CFT, patients are progressively challenged to undergo better exercises, slowly and safely guided to move again and face the things they've been avoiding,' he adds. This included 492 patients with chronic low back pain in Australia, who were randomly assigned to receive eight treatment sessions of usual care, CFT, or CFT plus biofeedback (a technique using sensors to measure body functions such as heart rate and enable the patient to modify them). Those who received CFT and CFT plus biofeedback saw improvements in their physical activity participation over usual care. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
