- 4 out of 5 people will experience back pain at least once in their lives. Serious conditions are rare causes of back pain.
- Most people with recent onset back pain recover within 6 weeks.
- Around 25% of people experience back pain on any given day.
- Back pain costs the country more than $1billion a year.
- Up to 1/3 of people don’t fully recover in the year after onset of back pain.
What you can do to help yourself
- Appropriate early management of back pain is important to prevent long-term problems.
- If recent onset back pain is very painful then the use of cold or heat or simple analgesics (such as Paracetamol) may be beneficial.
Note: If the back pain is caused by trauma, resulting in bleeding and tissue inflammation, then the application of heat is not advised for the first 24-36 hours.
- If pain is present for more than a couple of days seek attention from your chiropractor. There are a number of effective treatments for back pain, this includes spinal manipulation.
- With appropriate treatment most people will recover within a few weeks.
- Being fearful of movement and concerned that you may do more damage is often a factor in slowing recovery, so try and remain active within your pain limit.
- Pain that persists for more than a few weeks may cause you to overly avoiding normal activities.
Not coping with pain and avoiding activities may result in anxiety and further problems in the long-term.
- The role of your chiropractor is to help you recover via hands-on treatment and appropriate self-management
For more information about how we can help treat your lower back pain give us a call!
