Latest news with #MarkHancock
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Psychotherapy Offers Chronic Back Pain Relief for Three Years
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A type of psychotherapy called cognitive functional therapy (CFT) could help give people with chronic low back pain lasting relief for at least three years. This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers at Curtin University and Macquarie University in Australia, which demonstrated that CFT is the first treatment with good evidence to show that it can effectively reduce patient's pain-induced disability for more than a year. Around 8.2 percent of American adults have chronic severe back pain and nearly three-quarters of these patients have difficulties with mobility, social participation, self-care or work participation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. A previous study found that CFT was more effective than usual care—including painkillers, physical therapy and/or massage therapy—at improving self-reported physical activity in those living with low back pain for up to one year. The current randomized controlled trial is the first to show these effects are sustained for up to three. Man from behind with hands on lower back pain. Man from behind with hands on lower back pain. kieferpix/Getty Images "Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more of a talking therapy while CFT is more of a doing therapy—building trust, confidence and awareness in the body," study author and Macquarie physiotherapy professor Mark Hancock told Newsweek. "This is done through movement control and body relaxation during graduated exposure to feared and avoided movements and activities. CFT also addresses relevant lifestyle factors." RESTORE 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 (which uses sensors to measure body functions like heart rate and enable the patient to modify them.) "CFT was delivered in the first three months [for those who had it] with one top up session at six months. There was no CFT intervention after this. This is the exciting finding—that the effect lasted. The intervention focuses on empowering patients to understand and manage their condition, so while we were pleased we were also not surprised," Hancock explained. While those who received CFT and CFT plus biofeedback saw improvements in their physical activity participation over usual care, the difference between these two groups at three years was small and insignificant, also consistent with the three-month and one-year results. Therapist with smiling patient on sofa. Therapist with smiling patient on CFT significantly reduced people's back pain and improved their function, which was largely maintained over three years of follow-up. "CFT uses a multi-dimensional clinical reasoning framework to identify and target the key factors contributing to each person's chronic back pain. It has three key elements," said Hancock. The first is "making sense of pain"—helping to guide a reconceptualization of pain from what the researchers call a 'biopsychosocial' perspective through the lens of the patient's own experience. Second is "exposure with control"—guiding pain and movement control strategies to build confidence for people to re-engage in valued activities like physical activity, work and social life. The third elemtent is "lifestyle changes"—promoting positive physical, social and psychological health. "It targets the root causes and that is why we believe it has long term effects unlike most treatments for back pain that just address the symptoms," Hancock added. "Mind and body approaches are key because beliefs impact our behaviors and pain experience [also building anxiety and fear]. If people believe their back is fragile, unstable and damaged, they brace and avoid activity. This sets off a negative spiral. Effective care must address both the physical and psychological factors that can't be separated." Woman lifting small dumbbells with medical professional. Woman lifting small dumbbells with medical professional. Harbucks/Getty Images In all groups in the study patients could receive other interventions if they wanted, so the difference between groups was the CFT, Hancock explained. RESTORE demonstrates that CFT has long-term benefits on physical activity of those with low back pain and provides an opportunity to markedly reduce its impact if the intervention can be widely implemented, the authors said. Its implementation requires scaling up of clinician training to increase accessibility and replication studies in diverse healthcare systems. "CFT can help almost all people with chronic low back pain, apart from those with serious causes like cancer, infection or fracture. That said it is not a magic cure, and there is more work to do. We found about 70 percent of people responded well but we still need to explore how we help the others. Interestingly, the effects were greatest for the worst affected patients," said Hancock. "Almost certainly, these principles extend beyond back pain and research is underway for other conditions." Hancock believes health policies should support interventions like CFT due to them being high-value, low-risk and sustained. "Some of the authors have developed this social enterprise to educate the public about back pain and to provide training resources for clinicians. We are currently training clinicians in several countries," added Hancock. He concluded: "Funding is a barrier to people getting this [the CFT] and other good care for back pain. In many countries, expensive and potentially harmful interventions like surgery, injections, imaging and opioids are covered but effective safe interventions like CFT are not. This needs to change." Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about chronic pain? Let us know via health@ Reference Hancock, M., Smith, A., O'Sullivan, P., Schütze, R., Caneiro, J. P., Laird, R., O'Sullivan, K., Hartvigsen, J., Campbell, A., Wareham, D., Chang, R., & Kent, P. (2025). Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (RESTORE): 3-year follow-up of a randomised, controlled trial. The Lancet Rheumatology.
7 days ago
- Health
New personalized therapy may provide long-term relief for chronic back pain, study finds
A new treatment called cognitive functional therapy, or CFT, may provide long-lasting relief for people with chronic lower back pain, a condition that the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention says affects one in five U.S. adults. Cognitive functional therapy differs from standard physical therapy, according to the results from the RESTORE trial, published today in The Lancet Rheumatology. It helps people understand their pain, overcome fear of movement, and rebuild confidence through tailored physical activity and lifestyle coaching, according to the study. Researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and Perth, Australia's Curtin University followed over 300 adults with chronic lower back pain for three years across 20 physical therapy clinics in Australia. Study participants reported fewer pain symptoms at the end of the study after participating in just eight CFT sessions over six months, compared to those who used some other type of therapy to manage their back pain. 'Cognitive functional therapy is putting the patient in charge, addressing the person very holistically and looking at all the factors that are relevant,' said Dr. Mark Hancock, lead author of the study and professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University. Unlike many conventional treatments, CFT doesn't focus on short-term symptom relief. Instead, it teaches patients to reframe how they think about pain, and to shift away from protective or fear-driven behaviors and build self-management skills that ideally last long after the sessions end. "Pain patients often have kinesiophobia, where the thought of being in pain and the fear of what it might do to them results in them moving less. But a part of what makes back pain worse is that thought process, so I often tell my patients, 'if you don't use it, you'll lose it,'" said Dr. Rohan Jotwani, an interventional pain specialist and anesthesiologist at Och Spine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine. CFT doesn't involve pills or surgery but can be used alongside other treatments, the study says. While it can be used on its own, it also complements other approaches by helping patients build the skills and confidence to stay active and engaged in daily life, Hancock explained. 'There's something happening at a deeper level related to how patients appreciate and process their pain that's changing, and those skills over time are helping patients feel better even when the therapy ends,' said Jotwani. The treatment worked across a broad range of patients, according to the study, including with participants that had been living with disabling back pain for years and many had tried multiple treatments without success. Even in this group, a relatively short course of CFT led to meaningful, lasting improvements. The researchers said the key is not just what's done during the sessions but the shift in the participant's mindset that it creates, giving people tools to manage flare-ups, move with less fear and regain more control over their daily lives. The researchers noted some limitations to their study, including that some of the participants dropped out before it was complete. Additionally, all of the subjects were Australian, so it's unclear whether Americans would respond as positively to CFT. Jotwani said he finds the results promising, especially for patients who haven't found relief through conventional treatments. 'There's not many things that we can say that gives patients three years of relief after an intervention … so these results are quite encouraging,' he said.
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Metro Detroit woman remains in ICU after Livonia police pursuit ends in crash
A Metro Detroit woman is still in the ICU recovering after her vehicle was split in half by the car trying to escape Livonia police. Kim Hancock and her husband, Mark, are longtime members of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Detroit. Father John York says they would be the first to step up and help in times of need. "Good people, servant-hearted people, and you know, always there to lend a helping hand whenever anything happens with anyone else. So, it's really encouraging to see how much people have been rallying around them, how much support has come in," York said. The community is rallying after Hancock's car was hit by another vehicle attempting to escape Livonia police during a traffic stop that started near the intersection of 7 Mile and Middlebelt roads. "When the accident happened, she had broken sternum, broken ribs, internal bleeding. They had to do surgery for four hours to repair the internal bleeding. She was in the ICU and on a ventilator," said Laura Kline, a family friend. The driver traveled south and eventually ended up hitting Kim's car near Merriman and 5 Mile roads. "At one point, we weren't even sure if she would make it," Kline said. The Livonia Police Department denied CBS News Detroit's request for an interview. Instead, the department's public information officer referred CBS News Detroit to the department's website to review its pursuit policy. After searching and talking to the executive assistant for the administrative bureau, CBS News Detroit learned the pursuit policy is not listed online and would require filing a Freedom of Information Act request for the pursuit policy. "Usually, a supervisor monitors the pursuit policy and says, 'Yay or nay,'" said Steve Dolunt, a retired assistant chief of police for the Detroit Police Department. "You have to determine time of day, any traffic conditions, speed of the vehicle. Are you by a school? All those things weigh into where you should pursue or cut off pursuit." Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been organized to help Hancock and her family after this terrible accident. "I wanted them to have at least one less thing to worry about at this moment," Kline said. Hancock is expected to get out of the ICU soon, but she has a long road to recovery ahead of her. The two people in the car that hit Hancock were arrested. In the meantime, CBS News Detroit has filed a FOIA request with the Livonia Police Department.
National Post
14-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Porter Cabin Crew File Union Application With CIRB
Article content OTTAWA, Ontario — Porter cabin crew, with the support of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have filed an application with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to certify a union to represent approximately 1,200 cabin crew at Porter Airlines. Article content 'Porter cabin crew work hard to keep the public safe in the air and on the ground,' said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. 'They deserve a best-in-class contract and union representation, and that's exactly what they will get with CUPE.' Article content Article content After the CIRB has reviewed the application, they will issue a decision on whether CUPE will become the legal bargaining agent for Porter cabin crew. If successful, Porter cabin crew will have the full resources of Canada's largest union – and Canada's largest flight attendant union – at their disposal. Article content 'Porter is an amazing Canadian success story, and cabin crew deserve to share in that success,' said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick. 'By voting to form their union with CUPE, Porter cabin crew are ensuring they have a strong voice in the workplace to keep making their jobs even better.' Article content CUPE represents 18,500 cabin crew at airlines large and small across the country. For the past 40 years, CUPE has worked with flight attendants to raise the bar across the industry, with better wages and health and safety protections, improved cabin air quality standards, better premiums for extended duty days, and an end to restrictive and often discriminatory uniform and grooming policies. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Hugh Pouliot Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Porter Cabin Crew File Union Application With CIRB
OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Porter cabin crew, with the support of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have filed an application with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to certify a union to represent approximately 1,200 cabin crew at Porter Airlines. 'Porter cabin crew work hard to keep the public safe in the air and on the ground,' said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. 'They deserve a best-in-class contract and union representation, and that's exactly what they will get with CUPE.' After the CIRB has reviewed the application, they will issue a decision on whether CUPE will become the legal bargaining agent for Porter cabin crew. If successful, Porter cabin crew will have the full resources of Canada's largest union – and Canada's largest flight attendant union – at their disposal. 'Porter is an amazing Canadian success story, and cabin crew deserve to share in that success,' said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick. 'By voting to form their union with CUPE, Porter cabin crew are ensuring they have a strong voice in the workplace to keep making their jobs even better.' CUPE represents 18,500 cabin crew at airlines large and small across the country. For the past 40 years, CUPE has worked with flight attendants to raise the bar across the industry, with better wages and health and safety protections, improved cabin air quality standards, better premiums for extended duty days, and an end to restrictive and often discriminatory uniform and grooming policies. :vm/cope491
