The current approach in managing low back pain leaves a lot to be desired.
•The risk of a poor treatment outcome is higher than ever before.
•The incidence of chronic low back pain has risen 64% since the year 2000.
•BUT..the actual percentage of people experiencing “new” episodes of back pain has remained unchanged.
•Permanent disability is also on the rise.
•Even “first time” low back pain patients face up to a 45% chance of a less than optimum outcome with the care they receive.
We now have:
•Over 200 different forms of treatment.
•More than 23 separate clinical professionals providing care.
•An abundance of expensive tests.
•And more “do it yourself” devices and “magic secrets” than you begin could count.
Something is wrong here. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize….
•If we have the same percentage of people having a “first episode” of low back pain.
•But, we have a much higher percentage of people with chronic low back pain and disability.
•Then..The treatments being received are failing for more people.
It’s my belief that the rising rate of failure in back pain treatment can be broken down into 3 main categories.
TOO MUCH
•Professional bias, hype, and misinformation
•Economic competition.
•Emphasis on high technology
TOO MANY
• Poorly researched treatments.
•Economic conflicts of interest.
•Expensive or unnecessary tests.
•People seeking “miracle cures”
TOO LITTLE
•Emphasis on self-care and individual responsibility.
• Use of common sense.
• Real patient education.
• Clear, impartial guidance, given.
I know it is not easy living with low back pain. It disrupts your life, limits you being able to do those things that are important to you, and often makes you worry about what your future will look like.
However, in most cases, there are many things that you can do to help yourself greatly and regain control of your life so you can live with more confidence and freedom.
If you are dealing with low back pain, I encourage you to work with a knowledgeable professional who will help you be informed about your options so that you can have realistic expectations from any type of treatment you may be considering.
Each of you are different, and because of this there is no “one size fits all” approach to solving low back pain. However, most of you would be able to greatly reduce, or eliminate, your low back pain, often quickly if you knew just a few simple things to do.
SpineCamp was created to empower you to help yourself.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. Discovery calls are always at no charge.
Also, the July 11th SpineCamp session now has openings. Click below to learn more about it.
Dr. Ronald D. Fudala (RDF-10)
Beating Low Back Pain Shouldn’t Be Complicated. CLICK to Learn About SpineCamp Workshops