Living Well with Back Pain What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know Chapter One The Good News about Back Pain We begin with three pieces of very good news: 1. Acute back pain is one of the most common health problems. In fact, 80% of all adults have (or will have) at least one episode of moderate to severe back pain. Why is this good news? Because it means medical science has extensively studied back pain and knows a lot about it. It also means you're not alone. Millions of people have probably had the exact same problem you do and have healed successfully. With a little careful searching, you can find a medical professional who is very familiar with your specific problem and who has had repeated success in treating people for it. 2. Most back pain doesn't require any professional medical treatment at all. Most cases of back pain are healed naturally by the body and thus go away on their own in a few hours or days. You don't need to see your family doctor, a chiropractor, or a physical therapist (let alone an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon). 3. You can treat most back pain successfully yourself. Just do these simple things and there's an 80% chance that your back will be better in a few hours to a few days: Take it easy. Avoid heavy lifting and high-impact activity (jogging, tennis, golf, volleyball, etc.). Avoid prolonged sitting. If necessary, do some of your work standing up, or take a ten-minute standing or walking break each hour. Put ice on the painful area of your back during the first twenty-four hours of pain, then heat thereafter. Take an over-the-counter pain medication such as aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol), or an antiinflammatory medication such as naproxen sodium (Aleve) or ibuprofen (Advil). Do not spend a week in bed. Rest frequently in the contour position, which is illustrated in the figure. Because most back pain is benign and goes away on its own, there's usually no point in spending time and money on expensive doctor visits and tests. However, there are several circumstances in which you should immediately see a medical professional: If the pain is so severe that you can't sleep or function at all If you lose control of muscles in your leg(s) If you lose control of your bladder or bowels Here's the happy paradox: Many people buy this book, read this chapter, and follow its advice. As a result, they get better without seeing a doctor, save themselves the cost of a health appointment, and never need to read any of the remaining chapters. If this happens to you, that's great! But if you are one of the 20% of back pain sufferers who need more help, read on. All the information and support you need are here. Living Well with Back Pain What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know . Copyright © by Robert Winter. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Back Pain: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know by Robert B. Winter, Marilyn L. Bach All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
