Low back pain effects 26 million individuals nationwide. We bet that you aren’t aware of new guidelines from the American College of Physicians that recommend no pills for the treatment of acute lower back pain. When the pain is sever it’s tempting to pop a pill or think an MRI will reveal the cause of the pain. The problem is that pain pills come with side effects and MRIs aren’t very useful. An MRI starts the ball rolling towards surgery when it may not be necessary. Many people with no pain at all have the same abnormalities on MRI as people who are experiencing pain. This means that there is no way to know if these abnormalities are the source of pain in those who do have symptoms.
It’s tempting to believe that surgery offers the best results; that you need to fix the problem. The fact is, less invasive treatments like Physical Therapy are over looked.
If you are someone you know has experienced low back pain, please reassure them. Clinical research says the odds are overwhelmingly in their favor that they will get better soon.
Our mission is to spread the word that Physical Therapist are experts at providing patient education, therapeutic exercise and hands on treatment for back pain. All of which are recommended by the American College of Physicians before expensive test and invasive procedures.
Take home messages are for a recent episode of back pain:
- No pills right away
- See a Physical Therapist first before trying narcotics, needles or knives
Please pass this along to a family member or friend who has lower back pain and have them give us a call at either our Morgan City or Thibodaux clinic.