As an osteopath, I spend a lot of my time in clinic helping people with back pain who understandably want to know the reason that they hurt. People instinctively blame their posture, what they might have lifted or the amount of gardening they have been doing, all of which are valid potential reasons. But, pain is a complex experience and although it may be intuitive to think of it exclusively from a physical point of view, this is not always the case. Humans are biological, psychological and social creatures and strange it might sound all of these aspects of your life can contribute to the onset of back pain.
Historically, too much emphasis has been placed on the structure of the body as the sole cause of back pain. It is important to note that this is not to say that your structure (bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs etc) is not relevant, just probably less so than you think. We know this for several interesting reasons.
- MRI scans show a poor link between the amount of spinal “wear and tear” and the pain people actually feel. Lots of “degeneration” does not necessarily mean lots of pain.
- You may have a disc bulge identified on a scan as a cause for your pain. When your pain stops the disc bulge will still be there.
- Unfortunately, the opposite can happen too. We know that even when tissues have healed, months after an initial injury, pain can continue in some people.
There is more going on than just “issues in the tissues” when we feel back pain. Something simple but often overlooked such as how tired you are or the stress you are under can affect the pain you feel. The fear of making the pain worse or not knowing what the cause is may equally amplify your symptoms.
The good news is that there is always hope when in pain. We all age and no one has perfect posture – these do not always mean impending injury. By trying to take into account all aspects of your life, it is sometimes possible to identify less obvious reasons that when addressed may help reduce the likelihood of back pain occurring. There is no magic bullet here. Back pain is actually a very normal (albeit unpleasant) part of the human condition but its frequency and duration can be mitigated in the future by trying to remember the bio-psycho-social you.
By Ben Verling
Registered Osteopath and Clinic Principal
at Osteo and Physio in Tiverton
