Back pain Dennis Daniel (Physiotherapist MPT MSK (UK))

BACK PAIN if you are having back pain you are not alone, 8 out 10 people will be affected by it at some point in their lives. 90% of the time low back pain is recurrent. The peak age of incidence of low back pain is 30 to 50 years old. 80% of the time acute neck and back pain will improve without treatment in 8-12 weeks. 90% of the population has bulging discs, which are synonymous with degenerative discs, and are not a problem.

On the average, human beings flex 3000 to 5000 times a day. Back pain can affect any part of the spine but the most commonly affected area is the lower back or the lumbar. Back pain can come as a dull, constant or sudden sharp pain Nonspecific back pain which excludes pain due to neurological compromise or tumors constitute of 85% of all back pain Causes of back pain could be varied like sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise, wrong postures while sitting, standing or lifting weights, inappropriate footwear to name a few Chronic low back pain is more than mere body pain it has far reaching consequences which affect your physical, emotional and psychosocial health. Therefore it is very important that you manage your pain in the right way and find correct solutions to it. Researches in the recent years have brought out something interesting, they found out that many a times treatment to chronic low back pain was not effective due to other bio psychosocial factors Importance of a good team which includes Specialist Doctors, Physiotherapists and Nurses cannot be overemphasized as good team will be able to pick up the musculoskeletal, bio psychosocial or the combination of these or even additional factors to guide

you to the correct solution You should consult a doctor if:
You are having low back pain which is getting worse each week
You have constant pain even at rest
You feel your legs are becoming weaker
Chronic pain more than 3 months once seen by the doctor you might be referred for physiotherapy.

Physiotherapist will do a detailed assessment and give a treatment plan which may include exercises, modalities to reduce pain, manipulation techniques. Many a times physiotherapist have to deal with secondary manifestations of the problem before coming to the root of the issue like muscular spasm, trigger point, joint stiffness to name a few.