In the system: the lived experience of chronic back pain from the perspectives of those seeking help from pain clinics

Narrative accounts of their lived experiences were collected from twenty back pain patients who were seeking help from two pain clinics in the UK. Following analysis using a phenomenological approach, five themes emerged which tell a typical story of back pain. One prominent emergent theme, 'in the system', is reported in which participants tell how they became entrapped within the medical, social security and legal systems. These systems, designed to treat or support those who are ill or disabled, effectively rendered participants powerless, helpless and angry. It is suggested that these accounts may help clinicians and researchers to gain a better understanding of the origins and nature of the negative attitudes exhibited by many back pain patients who seek help from pain treatment centres. (C) 1999 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.