If you are reading this and you are over the age of 40 odds are pretty good that you've experienced back pain at some point in your life. The odds are also pretty good that you have experienced back pain more than once.
Every few months or maybe once per year your back acts up you get rid of it but it ALWAYS comes back.
Sounds Familiar?
Well... you are not alone. Four out of the five people are impacted by Back Pain, and for many, it’s a constant back-and-forth, year after year.
But why ? Why does back pain always seem to come back?
There are typically two main reasons:
Back Pain is primarily addressed with quick fixes and passive modalities…
You (or your doctor) let MRI's and Xrays make the decisions about your treatment.
Quick Fixes and passive modalities...
This is the most common way people tend to address their back pain. And it's the number one reason why it always comes back.
What is a passive modality? It's something that is done TO you. It's where you walk in somewhere, lay on a table and you receive some kind of treatment. It could be chiropractic care, massage, cranio-sacral therapy, acupuncture, even injections and surgery. You have no active role in the process -- it's completely passive.
Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with these treatments they are great for getting rid of your back pain and quite often quickly and they are also great for helping you with other problems such as stress relief.( I LOVE getting my massage once every few months!)
But when your back pain keeps coming back it's a big sign something is missing. These treatments are only addressing your symptoms. For example, tight muscles, tension in the nerves or joints out of place. These things are all the result of your back problem, not the cause. And it's the number one reason why your back problem keeps coming back because the root cause, the thing that is causing you to have the tight muscles or stiff joints is never addressed.
When X-rays and MRI scans make the decision..
Traditionally the medical community diagnoses your back pain with images. They use X-rays and MRI to see what's going on inside your spine and from there they make a determination of what your treatment should be.
This is a big problem because what shows up in your MRI or Xray, isn't always the reason for your pain. For example your MRI might show a herniated or bulging disc in your spine. Your doctor will immediately blame that for your pain and depending on how “bad” it looks they may suggest injections or surgery. But the truth is, another person could have the exact same visual results as you on the MRI and have no back pain at all. So, why is that one person can have a bulging disc with no back pain and another person can have a bulging disc with horrible back pain.
It’s because the root cause of back pain is more complicated than your anatomy (body structure). Research has shown time and time again that 80% of all back pain is primarily influenced by your habits and the way you move, not by what’s going on structurally in your spine. This is called Mechanical Back Pain, which mean the cause is "mechanical" in nature or related to movement.
But how do you know that it's a mechanical problem and not something more serious?
The easiest way to find out is to ask a movement specialist Physiotherapist like us. But one sign you can easily recognize on your own is to take note of how your pain behaves. Does your pain come and go? Do you have good days and bad days? Can you change positions and influence your pain? When your pain is variable, it's the best sign that your back problem is "mechanical" in nature and due to a movement dysfunction. And that also means that you don't need to resort to radical treatments like surgery or injections to fix it!!
So, even if you can go in and cut out the disc (surgery), but if you don’t identify and correct your poor movement habits that led to that bulging disc in the first place — it’s either going to come back or bulge somewhere else. It’s why surgery only has a 50% success rate for helping people keep back pain away for the long-term.
If you’re confused right now – I don’t blame you.
It’s why so many people suffer from back pain!
It’s also why we offer the opportunity for you to come talk to us for FREE if you’re tired of suffering from back pain with no real answers.
Click Here to request a FREE Explora Visit with us. It is a FREE 30-min session designed for people who are skeptical or unsure if Physio is right for their particular problem, without having to commit to a paid appointment. We do not believe in wasting anybody’s time and that is why we prefer to see you beforehand to decide as far as possible, if it's something we think can help you with or you need to be referred to another Specialty. Either way, you will leave with the knowledge of knowing What to do Next for the Best; whether it’s working with us or not.
You can also download this FREE GUIDE on how taking care of back pain on your own.
No matter how long you have suffered and however many different things you may have tried, I do not want you to lose HOPE that it IS possible for that Back Pain to Go Away—. You just might have the wrong approach and could benefit from some specialist care to finally get you going in the right direction.
Click here to find out Why Surgery may not be the best option, let alone the only option for Back Pain.
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