Is this the magic pill? Discover the 5 Keys to Stop Back Pain for Good!

We all know that low back pain can be troubling, but just how troubling is it? Statistics show that low back pain is the third leading cause of disability within Australia, with a staggering 1 in 6 (or 16%) of people having experienced an episode of low back pain in the last year alone! 80% of Australians will report suffering from an episode of low back pain in their lifetime.

These are pretty staggering statistics especially when you consider that these are steadily climbing and have been doing so for the last decade.

In fact it has become so problematic that it is now recognised as the number one reason why middle aged Australians retire early! This issue costs the Australian Healthcare system $4.6 billion annually (We could not be hosting the Commonwealth games with that money #Comedian).

But what if I told you that 75% of all low back pain episodes got better without any intervention, with only 1 in 3 of those individuals having a further episode. What if I also told you that only 1% of these episodes had what the medical profession would deem from a serious cause.

As an Allied Health practitioner, it is my job to figure out how such unassuming tissue damage (Or lack of) can have such debilitating consequences, but more importantly I need to seek to understand the person in front of me, and where they are on their pain journey because that will dictate what will and what will not help them. The good thing about knowledge I’m about to drop is it can address the pain without me having to ‘crack’ the joint or stick an acupuncture needle in it. Crazy right?

With that shameless cliff-hanger, here are the 5 key things that will help you manage your low back pain forever!

1. Seek to understand why it’s happened, look past the what

Every persons pain is different. There's a different combination of factors that brought it on, and in chronic cases there’s always a group of individual factors specific to the person that have maintained it. Disc bulge, muscle spasm, fracture, nerve impingement, inflammatory pain, mechanical pain whatever has been labelled as the thing causing your pain means bugger all. The most important thing is to find your specific cluster of factors that brought it on is, the “Why”. This leads me to the saying my patients know I wont shut up about and that’s “We want to know ‘Why’ not the ‘What’ because the ‘Why’ tells us our solution whereas the ‘What’ tells us the problem. I would recommend seeking an Allied Health professional here just like if your car was making a rattling sound I’d recommend going to a mechanic.

2. Always pay back the debt and never fall into the boom or bust approach

If you work or live a sedentary life and don’t utilise your body it will tighten up, you will lose some of your range of motion because you haven't been using it. This is happening often well before even the slightest pain creeps in. It then accumulates and all of a sudden you have thrown your back out putting on a sock.. Pay back the debt – Every 1 hour of you being sedentary you will repay with 1 minute of mobility work (Think stretching, foam rollers etc)

3. Breathe

In through the nose and out through pursed lips at a 5sec:1sec:3sec speed. This gives us Vagus nerve stimulation. All you need to know is that’s a very good thing when discussing low back pain! Quick synopsis is this is the easiest way to hack your bodies nervous system and turn off its ‘fight or flight’ response which stops the cortisol rushing in… Less cortisol means the body becomes less responsive and less reactive to the pain.

4. Make better choices – Being proactive is always better than reactive (Links to point 2!)

I’ll forever be envious of dentists who have somehow managed to get people brushing their teeth twice per day even if they have NO cavities.. I used to think that was the perfect analogy and would utilise it in a proactive sense as encouragement to continue with the good health behaviours (Exercise, education on health/condition, and maintenance treatments) to keep them out of pain. Great strategy right? It often went down like a led balloon and patients would give me a look as if I was speaking Korean. Better health behaviours creates better health outcomes. It's really that simple.

5. Never fear the pain – Don’t let it take away all the things you love doing

Continue with life with as much normality as you can. Don't withdraw from social activities, or work, or self-care. Having a thorough understanding of your pain and its provocative factors means you're perfectly placed to REDUCE activities in the short term but never WITHDRAW. Pain is far more complex than simple tissue injury (Cheeky plug for an upcoming blog).

None of this was the magic pill everyone hopes for and the truth is back pain is far to complex for any one single exercise, dry needle or erect posture immediately get rid of for good. It all comes down to having an understanding of your pain, what habits have brought it on, what habits have kept it there. Intervening as early as possible, creating a plan and addressing all the relevant factors is the closest thing to a magic pill there is. Patience, understanding, and discipline will keep you pain free, just like brushing twice daily keeps the cavities away.