Abstract - Comparison of strategies used by patients undergoing treatment for chronic pain people performing taekwon-do – a pilot study
Background. An assumption was made that mental condition has an impact, playing an active role in both pain treatment and martial arts. In the light of the referenced literature concerning health psychology it may be related to the main of beliefs and psychological strategies concerning individuals’ability to cope with pain.
Aim. The aim of this work is to present the results of research dealing with pain in two different groups: patients undergoing treatment for chronic pain and a group of people practising taekwon-do.
Method. The paper presents the results of research conducted on two groups, considerably different in respect of their physical fitness. The first group was composed of 29 individuals who practise taekwon-do (30.5±8.9 years). The second group comprised 30 pain treatment patients (33.5±11.9 years). Questionnaires used in psychology and health promotion were applied in the research to collect relevant pain-related data (Coping Strategies Questionnaire and Pain Beliefs Questionnaire).
Results. The results obtained indicated that taekwon-do trainees use strategies for coping with pain on their own more frequently than patients. They are also more proactive 8,17±1,94 (cluster 1) and 6,50±3,03 (cluster 2) than patients 3,01±0,82 (cluster 1) and 5,05±1,95 (cluster 2). The type P strategy in the taekwon-do group was 11.53±3.91, while for patients it is 13.68±4.64. A strategy based on trusting doctors, was 10.87± 4.09 in the taekwon-do group and for patients was 11.71 ± 5.02.
Conclusions. Taekwon-do trainees demonstrate higher proactivity. Revealing two subsets provided much valuable information concerning the structure of the analysed data: the people examined were very different. The patients make up a group that contains two sub-groups those with lower and those with higher proactivity (similarly to the TKD group). A strategy based on trusting doctors and strategy “P”- experience, intensity and frequency of pain – depending neither on doctors nor the individuals themselves, were rather similar.