Effect of Hanna Somatic Education on Low Back and Neck Pain Levels

BACKGROUND: Neck and low back pain are very common worldwide. Hanna somatic education (HSE) is a method of neuromuscular (mind–body) movement retraining that helps in managing pain, but its efficacy has not yet been studied. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of HSE on low back and neck pain and determine differences in pain, use of pain medication, and number of doctor visits before and after 6 months of HSE sessions. METHODOLOGY: This retrospective study included patients with neck and/or low back pain of >2-month duration who underwent HSE sessions between January 2016 and January 2018 and completed a minimum one follow-up session. Two to five one-to-one sessions of 40–60 min once every 1–2 weeks for 2–8 weeks were provided for each patient. Pain levels were recorded at each visit using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Data regarding medication use and number of doctor visits for pain management were also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were included, of which 81 (78.6%) were female. Completing a mean 2.8 HSE sessions resulted in a significant pain level reduction. There were significant reductions in the mean low back, neck, and low back + neck pain values between the first and the last visits (P < 0.001). In the 6 months before and after the HSE intervention, the number of patients using pain medication decreased from 53 (53.5%) to 14 (13.6%), respectively, and the mean number of doctor visits reduced significantly from 2 (±1.6) to 0.5 (±1.16) (P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Clinical sessions of HSE were found to significantly reduce chronic spinal pain. Further investigations are recommended regarding evidence-based treatment of HSE in patients with muscles pain.