The 7 Biggest Mistakes Back Pain Sufferers Make
Introduction
If you suffer from back pain, you’re in good (or not so good) company. Around 60 million American adults have back pain, and for nearly 40% of them the pain radiates down one or both legs! Below is outlined the 7 biggest mistakes that back pain sufferers make. Not only will these mistakes cost you a lot of money in the long run, they will rob you of a productive life and peace of mind. Continue reading to see if you fall into any of these categories:
1. Poor Posture: I get it! Many of us are working from home during this pandemic period. That being said, don’t trade ergonomic seating for working on your laptop from the “comfort” of your bed or sofa. Slouching over your work or leaning in awkward positions may feel ok for a minute but will surely lead to muscle spasms or worse, unnatural pressure on the discs in your spine. Our bodies are designed to work most efficiently and effectively when our posture is balanced. The right side works in concert with the left and our abdominal muscles work in concert with those of the back and spine. An ergonomic workspace is crucial to help prevent back pain. Your work chair should offer both lumbar support and arm support. Your chair should be positioned directly in front of your computer screen. Further, your screen should be positioned so that you can visualize it while your head is in a neutral, forward-facing direction.
2. Poor technique: We’ve all heard lift with your knees, not your back—and for good reason! Bending at the hip to lift objects off the ground can lead to or worsen herniated discs in the spine. To lift correctly, you should keep your feet shoulder-width apart, squat at the knees to lower yourself to the object, inhale and tense your abdominal muscles as you grab the object, push your heels into the ground as you straighten your legs to an upright position, exhale as you return upright. Your spine should stay relatively straight throughout the movements. Never lift a heavy object and rotate your upper body at the same time. Instead, lift the object as previously described and once you’re standing upright with the object, use your feet to turn your entire body in the direction you want to place our object.
3. Prolonged Inactivity A short rest after an acute injury is ok. However, for simple muscle strain, after a brief treatment of rest, ice, and compression, getting back to normal activities is better. Lying in bed and inactivity for prolonged periods leads to muscle atrophy. Active, strong abdominal muscles and back muscles are important for posture maintenance and the prevention of back injury and back pain.
4. Procrastination: I couldn’t count the number of patients that I see who tell me they’ve been suffering from back pain for years—usually 10 to 20 years or more—and they’re finally deciding to do something about it. What many do not realize is that one of the most common sources of back pain is degenerative disc disease. The word “degenerative” connotes getting worse over time. The sooner chronic back pain is treated, the less the degeneration one will experience. It takes about 10 years to progress through each of the stages of degenerative disc disease, and by the time you’ve reached the second stage, your options for treatment may be limited to surgery only! On that note, be sure to read mistake #6.
5. Pain "management": This mistake goes hand in hand with mistake #4. Patients will mask their back pain with pain pills and injections and avoid seeking definitive treatment. While these options may give temporary relief, they do not address the cause of the back pain. As time goes on, the severity of the root cause of the pain can continue to worsen. As the severity increases, quality of life begins to decline, often leading to depression and weight gain. Depression and weight gain can cause worsening back pain, putting the sufferer in a vicious pain cycle.
6. Pressure from Surgeons and Insurers: Back surgery is rarely the answer! Did you know that nearly 50% of spine surgeries for back pain fail? And those that are initially successful, wind up causing post-surgical back pain in a year or two, and the treatment for post-surgical back pain is typically ANOTHER SURGERY! It’s not uncommon for back surgery patients to go on permanent disability and have a poor quality of life. But don’t fret—your health insurance will gladly absorb most of the costs. And if you’ve got really good insurance, they may even cover the cost of post-surgical physical therapy and rehabilitation. On that note, continue on to #7!
7. Pennywise, Pound Foolish: When it comes to health care, patients are often pennywise and pound-foolish, often settling for a treatment because it’s covered by their insurance. When determining which treatments to choose to help with back pain, the initial out-of-pocket expense should not be the determining factor. What is the long-term financial and emotional cost if the treatment you choose leads to lifelong disability? You should evaluate your options based on the expected outcomes. How likely is a treatment to successfully relieve your pain? What are the long-term complications and side effects of the treatment? How will your quality of life be impacted? If treatment fails, what other options do you have? What is the downtime or recovery time? Will you lose time from work? Will treatment negatively affect your mobility? Here are some annual numbers to think about in regard to back pain:
a. Hospital costs: $150 billion
b. Lost workdays: 291 million
c. Annual earnings lost: $132 billion
At SpinaTherapeutics, we recognize the astronomical financial costs and the disabling nature of back pain. We empathize with those of you who struggle just to get out of bed in the morning or have difficulty with everyday tasks like putting on your socks and shoes, standing at the stove to prepare a meal, lifting grandchild, or even walking in a grocery store. We know you want real relief and are looking to get your life back!
We have the solution you’ve been looking for. We successfully treat chronic neck and back pain with state-of-the-art non-surgical spinal decompression. There are no needles, no drugs, and no surgery involved. There is no downtime or recovery period. We have success rates around 95% in eliminating or significantly decreasing neck and back pain, giving our patients their lives back. Click below or call us at 888-MY-BAD-BAC(K) to schedule your $49 consultation which includes an MRI and X-ray review, a report of findings, and treatment recommendations. Real relief is just a click or a phone call away.
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