"Finding a new normal: the lived experience of persons' journey towards coping with persistent low back pain".
Raffaela KurzClair HebronPublished in: Physiotherapy theory and practice (2022)
Participants' descriptions conveyed the sense of a journey, starting with the loss of a sense of self as they engaged in the pain battle, followed by a transition toward a new 'normal,' in which time, acceptance and trust in their own intuition were meaningful components. Although anxiety and fear were a continued presence, but they became more manageable. Society's role in the coping process was significantly meaningful and is something which requires reflections from therapists' and more widely.