21 Jul Busting Back Pain Myths!
Back pain is a common complaint that affects millions of people worldwide. However, there are numerous myths surrounding this condition that can lead to misconceptions and improper management. In this blog post, we will debunk prevalent myths associated with back pain, providing you with accurate information and empowering you to make informed decisions about your back health.
Back Pain Myth: Pain is Always a Sign of a Serious Problem
Fact: Experiencing back pain does not always indicate a severe underlying condition. Most cases of back pain are classified as non-specific, they are not life-threatening and can be managed and will resolve effectively with conservative treatments.
One study in Australia (Henschke et al.,2009) examined 1172 patients presenting to primary care clinics, and found only 11 or 0.9% had a serious spinal condition. If you consider the number of people who don’t seek treatment or present to primary care clinics, then this number could even be lower.
Back Pain Myth: I should avoid exercise when I have pain
Fact: Appropriate exercise and targeted movements is an effective part of a comprehensive treatment plan for back pain. Studies have shown remaining active with back pain will help you recover. Although you may need to modify certain activities, progressive exercise and movement in all directions is safe and beneficial for the back. (Urits et al, 2019).
Back Pain Myth: When I feel pain I am doing more harm or damage
Fact: When we feel back pain, this does not indicate harm or damage is occurring to our tissues. Research shows there is no correlation between tissue damage and the amount of pain you feel. Often your tissues will be in a highly sensitive state, where many movements and loading becomes painful, but it is still safe to move and feel pain. (Boissoneault et al, 2020, O’Sullivan, 2014)
Back Pain Myth: High levels of pain indicates a severe injury
Fact: Pain levels are not an indicator of severity of injury. Anyone who has suffered with back pain can often have quite significant levels of pain and dysfunction, but remembering in general less than 1% are considered to have serious spinal conditions. Our levels of pain felt are affected by many factors both physical and non-physical, and often we can feel 10/10 severe pain with tissues with minimal pathology or injury.
Back Pain Myth: Scans will show me exactly what is wrong
Fact: Sometime scans may show what’s going on, but often they don’t. Although scans (MRI, X-ray, CT etc.) can be useful in detecting serious conditions, remember this may account for roughly 1% of people with back pain. For the majority of people, scans do not determine your prognosis, do not predict the level of pain or disability you are experiencing and does not alter clinical decision making (Morgan et al, 2019). Several studies have shown people with back pain often have similar findings on scans as those without back pain.
Back Pain Myth: Bad posture caused my pain
Fact: How we sit, stand or bend does not cause back pain. Often you may feel pain in certain postures, but there is no strong evidence to support this causes pain. Our bodies are designed to move, and be in a variety of different postures. Often a problem is not being in a “bad posture” but being in the one position for a prolonged period of time. So before you rush out and buy an expensive ergonomic chair- consider how often you are getting up and changing position.
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REFERENCES:
Henschke N, Maher CG, Refshauge KM, et al. Prevalence of and screening for serious spinal pathology in patients presenting to primary care settings with acute low back pain. Arthritis Rheum 2009;60:3072-80.
National Health and Medical Research Council. Evidence-based management of acute musculoskeletal pain. 2003
Morgan, T., Wu, J., Ovchinikova, L., Lindner, R., Blogg, S., & Moorin, R. (2019). A national intervention to reduce imaging for low back pain by general practitioners: a retrospective economic program evaluation using Medicare Benefits Schedule data. BMC health services research, 19, 1-10.
Urits, I., Burshtein, A., Sharma, M., Testa, L., Gold, P. A., Orhurhu, V., … & Kaye, A. D. (2019). Low back pain, a comprehensive review: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Current pain and headache reports, 23, 1-10.
O’SULLIVAN, P. E. T. E. R., & Lin, I. (2014). Acute low back pain. Pain, 1(1), 8-13.
Bishop, M. D., Horn, M. E., Lott, D. J., Arpan, I., & George, S. Z. (2011). Magnitude of spinal muscle damage is not statistically associated with exercise-induced low back pain intensity. The Spine Journal, 11(12), 1135-1142.
Boissoneault, J., Penza, C. W., George, S. Z., Robinson, M. E., & Bishop, M. D. (2020). Comparison of brain structure between pain-susceptible and asymptomatic individuals following experimental induction of low back pain. The Spine Journal, 20(2), 292-299.