[The experience of life experiences among patients with chronic low back and extremity pain].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning and nature of pain experienced among patients with chronic pain. The present study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological method which was developed by van Manen.


METHODS
The participants for this study were 4 men and 5 women, who were over the age of 20 with chronic pain more than 6 months. Data was collected by using in-depth interviews and observations from September, 2004 to December, 2004. The contents of the interviews were tape-recorded with the consent of the subject.


RESULTS
The essential themes that fit into the context of the 4 existential grounds of body, time, space and other people were 'untamed and unremitting pain', 'the body as an obstacle', 'continuity of suffering time as if the moment would never end', 'a narrow radial range of action' and 'separating from other people'.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with chronic pain experienced and perceived the world through the filter of their pain. It is necessary for nurses to understand the experiences of chronic pain patients and to provide more empathic, supportive care. Further research is needed on nursing interventions that could help chronic patients cope with and find the meaning in their suffering.
Yang
Jin-Hyang
JH
Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, Inje University, Pusan, Korea. jhyang@inje.ac.kr
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005121:Extremities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009732:Nursing Care; D010146:Pain / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement