An interpretative phenomenological analysis of non-malignant chronic low back pain
pp. 129-146
in: Simon van Rysewyk (ed), Meanings of pain, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to introduce the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in relation to understanding the subjective realities of individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP). The chapter will begin with an overview of how phenomenological approaches may be of particular value in understanding how pain appears to a patient and ultimately the embodied nature of patients' pain experiences. This will be followed by an introduction to IPA, its theoretical background and ontological and epistemological claims. The rationale for exploring subjective experiences of people with CLBP will be expounded and the main findings discussed in relation to clinical practice. The chapter will conclude by exploring the ways in which findings from an IPA study may contribute towards a First-Person Neuroscience of Pain.