Lower Back Pain and Sciatica: How to Relieve Your Own Pain and Prevent Reoccurrence
I mostly see lower back patients and the thing I hear all the time is “I had no idea who to see." There is a huge amount of options for back pain including pilaties, yoga, strength training, machine based rehab, Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Chiro, dry needling, acupuncture, Myotherapy, and it goes on and on.
Everyone will know good friends and family members who will try and tell you how to fix your back, based on their own experience. The trouble with this is back pain is not a diagnosis, it is a symptom. And it will require a specific tailored solution. Sadly, the problem of low back pain is one that affects a huge proportion of the population and the largest factors that drive up the cost of healthcare for low back problems is imaging and surgery.
Surgery
Surgery is a huge cost, and most people will do better without surgery so should be reserved for the very select few that truly need it, after all other conservative avenues have been explored.
I regularly see patients who have tried various therapies but have not had success in resolving their lower back pain. I am often their “last option” opinion, as they have seen a surgeon and are seriously contemplating going under the knife.
Thankfully, as often as this occurs, a high percentage of these patients (I would estimate 90%+) do resolve with simple, targeted conservative therapy. Patient centered, non-dependency developing approaches are key to successful interventions.
Imaging
Another big influence in driving up the cost for back pain is imaging. Imaging can be useful, but it is routinely done for many patients who do not require it. One of the problem’s with sending someone for a lower back MRI is that it can reveal a myriad of findings that sound scary to the patient but are in fact completely normal (and the report should read “normal age-related changes’).
Finding a solution for your back pain and what you should demand:
A detailed and thorough assessment about the nature and behaviour of the symptoms, and how these impacts your lifestyle & function
Education about your condition, potential diagnoses and time-frames for recovery
What you can do to assist in your own recovery
You should be given specific exercises to improve your pain and function
A posture assessment to determine if it influences your pain
Education around psychology in low back pain especially if your pain has been going on for long periods of time.
Written by Joel Laing
Senior Physiotherapist at Absolute Health & Performance
Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis & Therapy (MDT)
