Osteopath Ben Verling explores some myths around back pain.
He says: ‘As Osteopaths we see people coming to us for many different reasons and often hear misconceptions about why back pain has occurred and the treatment needed for it.’
Here are some of the most common:
1) Back pain just happens sometimes for no reason.
Back pain always happens for a reason even though it often feels like it just comes out of the blue. A disconcerting aspect about the onset of acute back pain is that one minute you may feel fine, the next you are in pain, seemingly for no apparent reason.
Back pain is generally caused by a variety of physical, psychological and emotional factors combining together. This process is often the end result of a gradual build up in tension or a gradual weakening of muscles over a period of time.
The back is actually very adaptable and can cope with these stresses for a while but ultimately if the stress persists or the weakness progresses pain will ensue. We do not always feel the build up of the problem but we unfortunately feel the end result. When asked, patients often report that they have been aware of a slight niggle that has been there for a few weeks, but they did not think it was bad enough to act on at the time.
2) Back pain is only caused by lifting something heavy.
Contrary to what you might think, a lot of the time back pain is actually caused by not enough physical activity. People often report that they have not done anything differently in their daily routine, or that they have not lifted anything that they think could have caused their pain. This may be part of the problem.
The causes of back pain are insidious – the straw that breaks the camel’s back commonly rings true. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, just because this is normal for you does not mean it is good for your back.
We ideally need variety with regards to postural change on a daily basis. The body needs the physical stimulus of movement to keep the joints mobile, muscles strong and the nervous system working optimally. If you don’t use it you’ll lose it! We actually see far more underuse, not overuse, back problems in the practice.
3) Living with back pain is normal.
My patients often mention that they have had a niggling backache on and off for a while and
it is only when it really flares up that they get it seen to. Almost everyone will have experienced brief episodes of back pain at some point in their lives but this does not mean it is something that should accompany them through life.
If your back has been hurting for a while and is not getting better by itself you should seek medical advice, it can almost always be treated effectively and you should be able to stay pain free and not have to learn to livewith the problem.
4) Once you have had back pain, you will always have back pain.
Most people will recover fully from a back strain. The problem can be that when the pain of an episode goes, people return to their normal habits and routines which may have been the reason for the injury in the first place.
Getting rid of any discomfort is obviously the most important part of treatment but making appropriate lifestyle changes after the pain has eased is a good way of preventing any problem from returning. So a combination of the right treatment, advice, reassurance and exercise should mean a complete resolution of the problem.
5) You need something put back into place to get your back better.
At no point with any back treatment does a joint or disc get put back into place. This would mean that the back was dislocated and you would be in A&E if this were the case. With acute back pain it can often feel like something has slipped out of place but this is a sensation from the nervous system, not a physical reality. Treatment helps by reducing pain, relaxing tense muscles and giving reassurance and advice about how to help the body heal as quickly as possible.
