If you haven't read Part 1 yet, we recommend giving it a read! Find it by clicking here.
Low back pain and other musculoskeletal complaints remain the number one leading cause of disability worldwide (Global Burden of Disease 2015). The current methods of dealing with this crisis have - evidently - not been successful. Therefore, there have been many recent calls to action to change the way we all manage and treat low back pain - patient, practitioner and society as a whole (Lancet 2018).
In the past, low back pain cases - especially ‘chronic’ or persistent - were treated as a symptom rather than a condition. This means that it was believed that the problem was purely physical and needed ‘correcting’ or ‘remedying’ with medication, surgery or another form of intervention. Patients were routinely imaged with Xray or MRI and reveal normal findings of ageing of the spine. These were branded as the root cause of the person's pain and disability experience. These normal findings are also known as ‘wear and tear’ or ‘degeneration.’ Sometimes this would lead to unnecessary and life changing surgery or years of ineffective treatment. These practices still happen to this day.
It is important to know that in most cases there is a particular underlying pain generator: the disc, the joints, the nerves and or the muscles. However, we have realised that this is only one piece of the puzzle in persistent low back pain, a condition that involves biological but also psychological and social factors in its presentation that all need to be addressed in order to be managed effectively.
Please note: in rare cases there can sometimes be a serious underlying problem causing the back pain. In these uncommon cases, a practitioner looks for warning signs or ‘red flags’ in your history and may send you for further investigations like MRI or Xray to rule out anything serious and to receive the proper ongoing care.
Our chiropractors are specially trained to find the pain generator and take into account the other factors which are contributing to and causing your back pain. Each person is taken on an individual basis and how your pain is affecting your life. Our chiropractors work with you to lay down a plan of action with achievable goals along the way. Many have found that they are able to successfully manage their back pain and live a happy and fulfilling life once again.
In summary, our health choices affect how we age and can prevent a multitude of problems later in life - including back pain. If you are suffering with chronic back pain and have been told that it's down to degeneration of the spine and it is unlikely to get better, our chiropractors may be able to help you!
Please give us a call today, we look forward to hearing from you. Wishing you good health and happiness,
Jon
References
Global Burden of Disease, Injury Incidence, Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet 2016; 388: 1545–602.
The Lancet 2018, Low back pain series, The Lancet, accessed 7 May 2020, https://www.thelancet.com/series/low-back-pain
Moosmayer, S., Smith, H.J., Tariq, R. and Larmo, A., 2009. Prevalence and characteristics of asymptomatic tears of the rotator cuff: an ultrasonographic and clinical study. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume, 91(2), pp.196-200.
