Increase physical activity, improve quality of sleep, manage stress and promote relaxation should be top priorities in your rehabilitation. Part 1 of this episode examines what you should be aiming for in your recovery and why this is important.  8.1 Setting Goals to Boost Your Recovery from Back Pain - Part 1 What to aim for The most effective treatments for low back pain include exercise or multidisciplinary rehabilitation (also see Episode 06). Passive treatments, on the other hand, have not been demonstrated to induce long-term improvements.1 Physical Activity and Therapeutic Exercise 2,3,4,5 This is what we know what will help in the long term. Increasing activity. Developing a set of active coping strategies. Improve Sleep5 Improving sleep also makes total sence, since over 50% of people living with chronic pain suffer from depression and there is a strong correlation between quality of sleep and depression. And depression has an impact on your recovery process.5 According to the "2015 sleep in america poll", making sleep a priority is linked to better sleep, even among those with pain. Setting the right goals has a direct impact on your life.6 Check out the videos of the national sleep foundation about sleep and chronic pain: Sleep and Pain: Beat the Cycle and Improve Your Sleep Today Chronic Pain and Sleep What is Sleep Hygiene Manage Stress5 Relaxation is an integral component of cognitive behavioral treatment programs for chronic pain.7 -formal interventions are for example: therapy, counceling classes, joining a support group, relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, breathing exercices, autogenic training, creative activity....- There is also a lot of research showing how people living with chronic pain can benefit from meditation and relaxation techniques. Watch out for the next episode! Part 1 of this episode examined what you should be aiming for in your recovery and why this is important. Part-2 will show you proven techniques that help you in achieving what you aim for by using goal-setting theory. find more information at www.mybackrecovery.com  Literature: Scheermesser M, Bachmann S, Schämann A, et al. A qualitative study on the role of cultural background in patients’ perspectives on rehabilitation. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2012;13(5):5. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-13-5. Sackett DL, Rosenberg WMC, Gray JAM, et al. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. 1996. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007;455:3-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17340682. Accessed December 16, 2012. Manske RC, Lehecka BJ. Evidence - based medicine/practice in sports physical therapy. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012;7(5):461-473. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=3474298&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract. Accessed December 16, 2012. Jette DU, Bacon K, Batty C, et al. Evidence-based practice: beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of physical therapists. Phys Ther. 2003;83(9):786-805. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12940766. Accessed October 5, 2012. Hooten W, Timming R, Belgrade M, et al. Assessment and Management of Chronic Pain.; 2013. 2015 Sleep in America Poll. Sleep Heal. 2015;1(2):e14-e375. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2015.02.005. Morley S, Williams A. New Developments in the Psychological Management of Chronic Pain. CanJPsychiatry. 2015;6060(44):168-175. Â