Understanding your back pain: Intro Concepts
Back pain is a very prominent and common source of discomfort that millions of people suffer with on a daily basis. There are several reasons why this type of pain is triggered. This blog post is intended to get you more aware of your individual symptoms and its affects on your overall well being.
Statistically speaking, most acute back pain will go away in 2 weeks. That being said, the probability of that back pain recurring is very high. Many may wonder if there is a way to reduce or prevent the chances of acute back pain from coming back. In my personal opinion, I do think it is possible to avoid re-occurrence and it lies in the hands of the individual. So, let us jump into some basic concepts and key points to note in order to understand pain and management. - Our bodies typically crave movement and too much inactivity or rest can have negative effects to our joints and muscles.
- Feeling pain does not always mean there is tissue or structural damage.
- Moving through back discomfort can be beneficial if done in a proper manner. - Radiating pain in different locations of the body might be originating from your back without being physical back pain.
- The importance of self awareness and ability to assess change in symptoms is helpful in finding treatment.
- Symptoms can change day to day and should not be a “doom and gloom” scenario if your pain increases. Repeating exercises and drills that have been beneficial in the past can be very crucial to finding relief.
-If you’re unable to get relief within a 1-2 week period, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a profession. This is a good opportunity to seek the knowledge from a PT. Be proactive and take steps to avoid the high recurrence rate.
-If you’ve had imaging done, don’t get bogged down with the results. Just because there were some kind of findings one day, doesn’t necessarily mean your pain is the result of those findings. To really understand your back pain, you need to have a full evaluation performed and see how your symptoms respond to movements and special tests. With all that being said, the spine is a complex structure, and so is the body as a whole. Pain is a powerful and intense sensation and holds some people captive. Fear and learned beliefs play a massive role in the equation and can result in chronic back pain. Try to avoid taking advice from your neighbor or google; it will most likely discourage you. Take a more modern approach and be proactive; go see your local physical therapist for a full evaluation and assessment. In Massachusetts, we have direct access that allows you to see a PT without a referral. (Note: Access doesn’t necessarily mean your insurance company will cover the visit so check with your health insurance policy to know your individual benefits).
If you are unsure of what physical therapy can do for you or you’ve had unfavorable experience in the past, check out my video where I cover what to expect in a more modern physical therapy model.
https://youtu.be/GZ-Mz_jjmhM
-Make it a lifestyle,
Dr. Ilya Gluskin PT, DPT
