Do We Need To Re-Evaluate How We Assess Back Pain?
A report from The Journal of the American Medical Association has concluded that Americans spend an estimated $380 billion annually on spine and joint pain treatment, with the use of MRI scans, narcotic painkillers, injections, and invasive spine surgery all growing by several hundred per cent. Yet, the percentage of people with impaired function due to back problems has drastically increased over the past two decades, even after controlling for an aging population. Many mainstream medical approaches to treating back pain are minimally effective at best and may actually be doing more harm than good. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, mainstream medical practitioners aren’t even able to figure out what’s causing their patients’ pain, with a definitive cause only being identified in about 5-15% of people with back pain. The reductionist approach of attempting to fit every patient into a neatly defined box and calling it a day doesn’t work, and there’s no magic bullet. Pain is highly complex neurobiology that involves many different factors, and treating it needs to take the full picture of the individual patient into account.
As author and blogger Todd Hargrove, in Healthy Movements for Human Animals: An Evolutionary Perspective on Exercise, points out that we have a tendency to simplify the causes of back pain.
“When back pain suddenly shows up, we are tempted to blame it on the last minor stressor that affected it, such as a soft bed in a hotel. This is like blaming your bankruptcy on the last latte you bought before your account finally went into the red.” – Todd Hargrove.
So What’s The Solution?
The initial step to tackling pain is to locate a healthcare provider who is well-versed in pain science, willing to invest time in comprehending the root cause and values the patient as an equal partner.
Chiropractic care has been proven to be one of the best solutions for back pain. Chiropractic care is a holistic approach to back pain treatment. Chiropractors not only focus on the spine but also on the patient’s overall health and well-being. They may recommend lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, to help improve the patient’s overall health and prevent future back pain.
Additionally, it’s crucial to retain control over your health and avoid magnifying the situation. You are not fundamentally damaged, and your pain is not permanent; there is hope. Taking one proactive step at a time can make a significant difference.
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