Low back pain affects roughly 80% of all adults at some point in their lifetime. The prevalence for low back pain is greater in women and as we age.
The problem is there is not a consensus on how to effectively treat lower back pain. There are many different schools of thought and such a large variation within patient (men/ women, young/old) populations that trying to put a blanket over the problem is impossible.
It is estimated that back pain is the most common type of pain and it affects nearly 2 out of 5 US adults within the last 3 months. This can affect daily tasks, exercising and sleeping, not to mention the $50 Billion dollar price tag per year spent on treatment and the $100 Billion dollar indirect cost of lost wages, productivity, legal and insurance issues.
9 out of 10 patients never find out what exactly causes their pain, leading to increased worry and anxiety over their condition.
When Americans do have back pain roughly 40% will turn to their primary care provider, 40% to a chiropractor and 20% subspecialist like a physical therapist.
The good news is that 95% will recover within the first few months of having back pain. The frightening fact is that 20-44% will have another episode within one year. We see this all of the time. When this happens the pain usually doesn’t go away on its own and it can easily turn into a chronic pain condition.
One of the most common methods for relieving back pain is harmful painkillers. An alarming 14% of patients suffering with back pain are prescribed addictive opioids despite an overall lack of evidence to support their uses according to the CDC.
Other effective and less harmful methods to gain relief are resting, physical therapy/specific back exercises, gentle movement, rubs and creams.
The harm in using addictive painkillers, rest, rubs and creams is that they don’t address the root of the problem.
Frequently massages, pills and rest help to reduce the initial inflammation and pain (Phase I of the The MAGICAL 5 Phases of Healing). The issue is people tend to think their condition has gone away once the pain is gone.
As stated earlier, up to 44% will have their back pain return within a year and if they don’t address it, the frequency and severity of their back pain will continue to get worse as time goes on.
Ignoring your problem does not make it go away!!!
What you should do instead.
According to Dr. Stuart McGill (one of the world’s top experts on back pain) says the first step in recovering from back pain is a thorough assessment. This is where the clinician spends time (more than the average 3 minute physician visit), to ask questions about your pain and also test your strength, mobility etc. Rarely are X-rays or MRI’s needed.
Without an assessment from a qualified healthcare provider like the experts at MOSS Rehabilitation Center you are just throwing darts at the dartboard in a dark room. Maybe you hit the target but most of the time not.
This can lead to frustration, anxiety and chronic pain that spirals out of control.
From the assessment a plan is developed to help you get back to the things you love doing. This is why we created The MAGICAL 5 Phases of Healing. It takes you from your personalized assessment through the various phases leading to ultimate performance and getting back to normal so that you can live you want to whether that is walking without pain, playing with your grandkids or maintaining your independence.
Recovery from back pain is not easy but the key is to not get discouraged. Keep trying and if you experience a little set back, don’t give up.
Giving up after you had a bad day is like slashing 3 good tires on your car after you discovered the 4th one was flat. We will all face challenges and setbacks; the key is to keep moving forward. Look to see if there was something that interfered with your ability to reach your goal that day and figure out what you can do to prevent it from happening again.
If you or someone you love is suffering with lower back pain and would like to improve your life by getting control of your lower back pain so you can remain active and independent for a lot longer.
If you feel you would really enjoy helping yourself find relief from that annoying, nagging lower back pain then I have something for you.
If you are looking for guidance on your next step to finding relief from your lower back pain then call our office to request my 100% FREE Report Top 10 Burning Questions for Back Pain and Sciatica. Or if you want the report right now, CLICK HERE and you can download it instantly.
NEXT ACTION: Call Us Today 817-220-MOSS (6677) to schedule a FREE
No Obligation Discovery Visit, you will talk with one of our friendly experts about your issues, and learn what can be done to help you.
To your health,
Dr. Robert Moss PT, ScD, OCS, FAAOMPT
