Back Pain.
Some helpful back pain facts to help reduce some of the fearful beliefs surrounding this condition.
Back pain facts: Back pain stands alone amongst musculoskeletal pain conditions in terms of the level of fear that it generates in people.
People tend to react differently to pain in their back than to pain in other areas, such as the back of the leg, or arm. This is likely due to the very reasonable fact that pain in the back is often located around the spine, which is an extremely important structure in our body.
This does, however, lead to the first fact that really needs to be shouted from the roof tops. Partly due to the perceived fragility that has in many ways been implanted in people’s minds by health care workers over the years! Thankfully, research continually leads us away from such beliefs, however it does take a lot of time for such changes in understanding to filter out into society.
Back Pain Facts:
The spine is extremely strong, robust and resilient.
The spine is very strong. It is supported by dense layers of extremely strong ligaments that envelop it and protect it. Things do not move, for example our discs do not readily ‘slip’, as we are so often lead to believe. Our spine is designed to bear load and move well and It is very hard to do serious damage to it through daily activities. As such, it is important that we have confidence in our spines and keep relaxed through daily tasks rather than create unnecessary tension through bracing and contracting.
Pain doesn’t mean damage
Structural damage does not have to occur to cause pain. Many structures around the spine are sensitive to irritation, for example, from repetitive movements. There are lots of special nerve fibres whose job it is to relay warning messages to the brain, for the brain to then decide whether to ignore, or to respond with pain (to make us stop!). So, if we set about a lengthy gardening task that sees us bending and rotating repetitively, we may well irritate these fibres and the result could be pain. But no structural damage has occurred – the area has just become sensitised.
A whole other host of variables can also affect pain – such as stress levels, anxiety. But this will be another post one day!
So the cause of back pain isn’t clear for a lot of people and serious causes are rare. It can be extremely distressing and debilitating for some people, but in most cases, it will get better in 4-6 weeks.
The majority of back pain is ‘non-specific’. Meaning a structural cause cannot be identified.
Among 100 people with back pain:
– 90% have non specific pain
– Around 10% have nerve related pain. In many cases these do not require a scan.
– Less than 1%, or 1 person, has a serious cause that may require a scan
Scans for rarely change treatment
Having a scan is unlikely to find the cause of pain and is unlikely to change how we treat it. Most types of back pain are treated the same initially, even if there was a known cause of it.
We also know that MRI findings do not correlate well with pain. Disc degeneration on a scan is present in just as many people without pain as it is with pain. It is a normal part of aging, just like we grow grey hairs and develop wrinkles!
However, research has demonstrated that people who get an early MRI scan for back pain actually take LONGER to recover. This is likely due to the increased fear of fragility that it invokes in patients.
If your doctor recommends a scan?
If, after a thorough physical assessment your doctor discusses referring your for a scan. Ask the following questions:
– How will this scan change how I manage my back pain?
– What are the risks?
– Could the findings on my scan be unrelated to my pain?
What recommendations would I give for your back pain now?
1. Get back to your usual physical activities as soon as you can and avoid staying in bed. Staying active reduces pain, time off work, and increases recovery. Any exercise that you enjoy is good for you.
2. Introduce activity gradually. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but this doesn’t mean you are doing any damage.
3. Feeling worried, anxious, frustrated, and angry is natural when suffering pain. But the more we worry about pain, the worse it can get. It is best to acknowledge these feelings, stay positive that pain is likely to improve over the coming weeks, and to seek support/expert advice.
4. Develop a plan of action, think of a few goals that you wish to achieve that work towards reducing pain and getting back to your usual activities. This can be done on your own, or with a professional.
5. Track your progress. Record your level of pain, how you feel doing physical activities. This will help you track your journey back to health.
For back pain advice in Melton Mowbray, West Bridgford Nottingham, or Lowdham, please get in touch with Central Therapy today!
