IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Relaxation helps ease back pain

Back pain sufferers are far too prone to try to work through their pain, increasing stress and overtaxing muscles, a German researcher says.

The strain overburdens muscles, joints and ligaments, causing yet more pain, reports Monika Hasenbring of the back pain center at Ruhr University in Bochum. The physical problems can also weigh on the person's emotions, rendering him or her extremely moody.