Spending time in or around nature can provide people suffering from chronic lower back pain with a degree of escapism that helps them better manage their physical discomfort, a new study has shown.
The research, published in The Journal of Pain, is the first of its kind to ask people experiencing chronic lower back pain – in some cases for almost 40 years – about the role nature plays in any coping strategies they employ to help manage their condition.
The researchers found that people able to get out in nature said it enabled them to connect with others on a social level whereas they might otherwise spend the majority of their time indoors and isolated.
It provided them with a degree of distraction from their pain and a sense of escapism from their daily lives, and they enjoyed the opportunity to exercise in pleasant surroundings, preferring it to gyms or similar settings.
In addition, natural features such as fresh air and the sound and visual presence of water, the interviewees said, helped give them a feeling of tranquillity that relieved the stresses and anxieties created by their pain levels.
However, they did have concerns about the accessibility of some spaces, with factors such as unsteady or uneven terrain and a lack of seating having the potential to reduce their enjoyment of – and making them less inclined to visit – certain places.
Based on their findings, the researchers have recommended that people with chronic lower back pain – and the clinicians treating them – give greater consideration to the role nature can play in their health and wellbeing, and suggested natural spaces could be adapted to incorporate more accessible design features.
They are also working with people with varying forms of chronic pain to develop and test virtual reality innovations that may enable them to experience the benefits of being in nature on occasions where they can’t physically access them.
The study was conducted by experts in pain management and environmental psychology at the University of Plymouth and University of Exeter, and is based on interviews with 10 people who had experienced chronic lower back pain for between five and 38 years.
