Finding a health professional to ease and treat your back pain.
Sash recommends that before you visit a health professional you should write down your key activities and describe how your back pain affects these tasks. “You will see that if you go to your GP prepared you can get much more information out of a 10-minute consultation than if you go unprepared.”
Having mentioned the scale of the problem, the causes and the desirability of continuing to work, the next stage is to examine treatments. This is a complex area as there are more than 200 different treatment options for back pain.
Sash explains: “Some of these are well-established and have been thoroughly researched while others are more experimental and less mainstream. When having to decide what treatment to try, you may want to ask yourself the following questions: Is there any scientific evidence that shows the treatment is effective and safe? Who performs the treatment? Are they registered with a regulatory body? If not, are they adequately qualified to perform the treatment? What are the possible benefits, the possible risks and the costs of the treatment? When making a decision you will have to weigh up these three.”
The most common forms of treatment for back pain are:
• Self-management – techniques here include saying active, pacing yourself, setting realistic goals, relaxation techniques (such as reading or walking) simple stretching exercises and keeping pain diaries
• Alexander Technique – a subtle technique which seeks to re-establish the natural relationship between the head, the neck and the back – the ‘core’ of the body
• Exercise – such as yoga, pilates, swimming, walking and hydrotherapy, preferably under the supervision of a trained physio
• Osteopathy – osteopaths identify problem areas of the body and use stretching and mobilising techniques as well as joint manipulation
• Physiotherapy – this can include a range of treatments, from exercise and massage to electrotherapy and acupuncture.
Further information about back pain
Don’t forget that with Benenden Healthcare you can seek advice on back pain from our 24/7 GP Advice Line . Benenden Healthcare members can discuss any health concerns they might have in complete confidence. It costs £1.50 per person, per week for Benenden Healthcare Society membership. You can join Benenden Healthcare online.
Benenden Healthcare members may also be eligible for a course of physiotherapy to assit with back conditions.
You may also wish to visit the Backcare website and the Health and Safety Executive website
