What to do, and not to do for back pain. Below are 7 things you may be doing wrong…
1. Doing Nothing
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014-15 National Health Survey data, it is estimated that 70-90% of the population will experience back pain. 80% of back pain sufferers will have more than one episode of back pain. Most back pain is self-limiting, meaning it can come, and go, all by itself in time.
Whilst you may have gotten away with doing nothing in the past, you’ll probably find that you will continue to have more and more, and maybe even worse and worse, episodes of back pain. Symptoms and conditions may also appear elsewhere in the body, problems that you would never think could be attributed to your back pain, such as foot pain or neck and shoulder pain. You know the old song we all sang as kids – where one bone in the body was connected to the next? Well, that pretty much sums us up – anatomically we are complicated machines where everything is connected. If one part goes out of whack and is neglected, then another part also becomes strained. If you continue to do nothing, soon many other parts follow and you begin to feel like a wreck. This is especially important when it comes to the back as it is the core part of our body that protects the all-important nervous system and is what all the limbs and head are connected to. It’s the chassis of the car if you will, the foundations of a building, the egg in the cake, well, you get it, – it holds everything together. Your back is pretty important. Don’t take it for granted and don’t neglect it, especially if you have experienced more than one episode of back pain. The best place to start is with professional advice. A knowledgeable physiotherapist is key. And if your doctor tells you to “do nothing, it’ll pass” or “go home and rest” – you best find yourself a better doctor.
Don’t let yourself get to the broken wreck stage – it’ll cost you way too much – health, happiness, work, play, and the least of all – a whole lot more money than if you had done something in the first place. So don’t do nothing.
2. Rest
No! Just no! It’s not the 1800’s – don’t go home to bed to convalesce – we know better than this. The back is made to move. It loves to move, even when in pain, as long as it’s the correct type of movement and intensity for you. The movement will nourish your nervous system, activate muscles and blood flow and help reduce inflammation of tissues, which is a very common factor in back pain. This will all help your body heal itself faster. Rest, especially bed rest or lying or sitting on a soft sofa – will most likely make your pain worse and prolong recovery.
Walking, stretching and strengthening will be very important for your best recovery. See a good physiotherapist for the best guidance.
3. Doing too much
While complete rest will be bad for your back, not slowing down, continuing to lift heavy, doing intensive workouts, sitting at the desk for hours on end, will be just as bad and will most likely do more damage. Listen to your body (and your physiotherapist) and know when to slow down. You may even need some days off your regular work or sports routine to allow your back to heal. The world will keep turning, I promise.
4. Panic!
Don’t panic! Don’t stress! Don’t fall in a heap. There are countless research papers that tell us that stress makes matters worse when it comes to the complicated world of pain.
Stress or a defeatist attitude equals more pain and hampered healing times. It’s science. Don’t consult Dr Google and convince yourself you have every medical condition you read about. Don’t try to find the exact cause of your back pain. 80% of back pain is non-specific, meaning that the exact cause is unknown.
If your back pain is sticking around for longer than you’d like, and you’re doing all the right things and are following advice from all the right people – give it time. Find what you can do that makes you happy during this healing period. Don’t let your pain define you even if it does become chronic. You are not your pain. Make an effort to stay happy and positive, pain hates this!
5. Think your back is out of place
Please! If you walk into my rooms and tell me this, I’ll probably look at you funny. Your back is a very strong and stable structure. I know you are important and in a lot of pain, but your back is most certainly not out of place! To make this clear, here are two scenarios where your back may have come out of place:
- You are flying Melbourne to London in an airplane at 30,000 ft. You fall out of that plane and land on your back. Your back may be out of place.
- You have been involved in a high-speed vehicle collision that has left you a quadriplegic – your back may also be out of place.
In summary, it takes a lot of for your back to be out of place. Sorry, but your back pain is most likely to be due to something less fancy. So don’t try to crack it back into place and don’t let somebody that tells you it is out of place to crack it back into place for you, as this may do more damage. And let’s talk about one leg being shorter than the other another day. . .
6. Rush into surgery
Over the many, many years I’ve been in physiotherapy, it is alarming how many patients, usually with their doctor’s advice or consent, will rush to see an orthopedic or neurosurgeon before conservative management (e.g. physiotherapy, exercise). Now, if the surgeon is good and it is not a medical emergency, they will advise conservative management first. Unfortunately many rush into unnecessary surgery that often either does nothing or makes things a whole lot worse. Unfortunately, we see this a lot.
Two main reasons people rush into unnecessary surgery are:
- The belief that a doctor or a surgeon is God and what they say is the be all and end all.
- They think, or have been wrongly advised, surgery will be a quick fix and they will be all good again once the surgery is over.
Here is a more realistic look at the situation:
- Doctors are people too, they sometimes get it wrong.
- There’s no quick fix! You will require weeks, months, or years of rehabilitation, exercise, physiotherapy and lifestyle changes after surgery anyway – so how about we try that first?
- Think twice about putting your health into the hands of a stranger with a scalpel! Avoid unnecessary surgery and all the other problems and cost that may come with it. Take control of your health. Do not be misinformed, mislead, or lazy when it comes to your greatest asset (it’s your health by the way).
- The latest research is showing no benefit of surgery over conservative treatments for many conditions.
- You usually can’t undo surgery once it’s done- so make sure it’s the best option for you before deciding on it.
There are some conditions where surgery is unavoidable though – but this is for a very small percentage of cases, and usually, they are medical emergencies such as extreme trauma or degeneration whereby nerve structures are compromised and require immediate surgery to prevent further irreversible damage.
7. Look for a Miracle Cure
I’ve got bad news again… there is no miracle cure. Your back pain, particularly if you’ve had recurrent episodes or have chronic pain which involves the nervous system and pain centres in the brain (that nobody entirely understands how they work), is most likely due to long-term, multifaceted causes including, but not limited to: physical factors such as muscle weakness or imbalances or tight structures; posture, overloading or repetitive activities, nutrition, smoking, emotional health, etc.
Sometimes people think it was one movement that causes the problem – such as lifting awkwardly or sleeping funny – but that incident is most likely the straw that broke the camel’s back. Most likely your back pain is the sum of weeks, months or even years of reasons, until one day your back (or the nerves and regions that control pain in your brain) says “no more thanks!”.
So, there is no fast, cheap, miracle cure, unfortunately. Investment from you in the form of time, work and money, will be needed to get things right. A knowledgeable physiotherapist, and I say this because I know as in every profession there are some dodgy ones out there unfortunately, can become your best friend to help settle your back pain, get your back moving correctly, and strengthen you up and give you all the advice and tools you need for optimal recovery. This may involve manual “hands on” therapy, stretching, strengthening, clinical Pilates, gym exercises, and advice on posture and movement. Dealing with your back pain properly as early as possible is the best way to get back to your optimal health and help prevent much bigger problems down the track.
Remember, your first wealth is your health! Look after it.
(As always, this blog is not to be used in place of proper medical advice. If you have a medical concern, always consult a healthcare professional for proper treatment for your individual concern).
Tags: physio, physiotherapist, doncaster, melbourne, back pain, neck pain, sports physio, exercise, gym, clinical pilates, strength training
