burnabyphysio

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Common Back Pain Myths

A vast amount of the population suffers from lower back pain at some point in their lives, which makes it a very common condition. Lower back pain, which is often abbreviated as LBP is surrounded by a lot of myths and misconceptions. 

As experienced physiotherapists, we have often noticed that the optimum approaches to managing this ailment are different from the general belief of the community. Due to this very reason, a substantial societal cost related to LBP can be saved by spreading awareness about the condition and eliminating false beliefs.

 As specialists of physiotherapy in Burnaby Metrotown, we actively work towards challenging the common myths and misconceptions in our community and strive towards better awareness in managing LBP. 

Myth Number 1: If I get LBP, I’ll have to live with it for the rest of my life.

This misconception is due to the occasional and mild episodes of LBP that some people meet with, after going through the condition once in their lives. These episodes are rarely critical or disabling. 

But from experience and from research and statistics, we know that a majority of people make a very good and complete recovery. Rarely a minority of patients encounter critical or long-lasting pain or disability. 

Contrary to the widespread myth, in most cases, some simple advice will help you fully recover from LBP with no change to your quality of life.

Myth Number 2: A long bed rest is essential for me to get better.

It is true that you should definitely avoid engaging in activities that are aggravating for a few days following the first injury. This is the case for many such injuries to other body parts as well; such as sprained ankles to relieve the initial pain. 

But it has been evidently proven that prolonged rest not helpful in achieving a fast recovery. On the other hand, returning to your usual lifestyle; work, and hobbies can potentially accelerate your recovery. 

The returning to such activities should be approached cautiously and gradually and the exercise that you receive via such activities is vital in reducing the chance of recurring LBP and future disability. 

Myth Number 3; The more back pain I feel, the more damaged my spine is

Over years of our experience in physiotherapy services, we have noticed that many patients are often worried about critical damage to their pain as they feel substantial pain. But what everyone should understand is that each person and each body is different from each other in how they respond to injuries. 

People with similar ailments can feel a range of different levels of pain. The pain felt by someone in response to an injury in the lower back can vary due to factors such as the situation, previous experiences with pain, the stress levels, the coping mechanism, fitness, and even the mood. 

Some patients with LBP feel a stronger pain than others as their nerves that send and process the pain signals are more active in comparison to other patients. For such people, considerable pain could be felt if they try to do something following the injury, but it does not necessarily mean that their spine is going through further damage. 

Being aware of the different pain responses of different bodies and techniques such as exercise can aid you to cope with lower back pain better and ease out the disability and pain associated with it. 

Myth Number 4: My lower back pain is due to something being “Out of place”

We have experience with many those who suffer from LBP that worry about a possible misalignment in their spines or hips causing them to be skeptical about some procedures used in treating LBP. But extensive research has proved that there is no necessary correlation between lower back pain and a bone or a joint in the back or hips being out of place or misaligned.

 A huge majority of the people who experience lower back pain do not show any visible evidence in their X-rays that show any potential misalignment or dislocation. On the other hand, there could be rare cases of minor changes in spinal alignment, but they also do not display an increased risk of lower back pain. Following an injury, even if you feel better after merely a short period, you don’t have to worry about anything not being put back in place, because nothing was really out of place, to begin with!