Low Down on Low Back Pain Back pain is one of the most common diagnoses we see as Physical Therapists.

Nearly everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with work, routine daily activities, or recreation. Back pain is the most common cause of job-related disabilities and a leading contributor to missing work. t is the second most common neurological ailment in the !."., second to the headache. #enerally back pain goes away in a few days. !nfortunately, at times, it takes much longer to resolve. n this edition of $Promoting %ealthy &ifestyles', we will e(plore some of the myths of low back pain. )yth* Bed rest is the best treatment for low back pain. +act* ,n updated review in the -ochrane &ibrary, which e(amines medical research, concluded that normal daily activity is better than bed rest. ,ctive patients e(perience less pain and avoid the side effects of immobility. )yth* ). s are necessary if you have back pain +act* ,n anatomical abnormality that is seen on an imaging test /). , -T scan0 is not necessarily a cause of your back pain. n fact, the vast majority of people who never have had an episode of back pain will have abnormalities /such as a herniated disc or degenerative disc0 on an imaging test. )ost health professionals can develop a successful treatment approach based on a thorough medical history and physical e(amination. 1nly specific symptom patterns in a minority of cases indicate the need for ). scans or other sophisticated tests. Typically, ). scans are used when patients are not responding well to appropriate treatment )yth* have back pain, so will need surgery

+act* 1nly a very small percentage of people who have back pain will undergo surgery. !nless you absolutely need an emergency surgical procedure, surgery for back pain should be the very last solution to consider remedying your back problems. To put it in perspective, in the !", some 234 cases of a herniated disk per 544,444 re6uire surgery. )yth* There is nothing you can do about the pain7 you just have to learn to live with it.

+act* .esearch has shown that e(ercise and manual therapy have been beneficial to many patients /you say shown here twice0. n addition, patient education about causes and prevention of your back pain, as well as utili8ing appropriate body mechanics, is beneficial. Physical therapists are trained to identify which of these treatment strategies will be most effective for an individual patient, which further improves the effectiveness of care. There are many myths associated with back pain and its treatment. 9ducation is the key to both understanding current episodes of back pain, as well as prevention of future flare ups. Please feel free to e-mail me with 6uestions, comments, or ideas for future topics in $Promoting %ealthy &ifestyles'. Perry :oslow, PT, )PT, -"-" -:TP is +acility ;irector of Pro-are Physical Therapy in )oscow and adjunct faculty at the !niversity of "cranton. <ou can email him at perry=procare-pt.com