Back pain is a common source of complaint among society, but is still at times poorly understood and managed. Many outdated ideas still form the basis of diagnosis and treatments. The term ‘slipped disc’ and belief that a scan will show the cause of their back pain are common outdated beliefs.
Discs are living, adaptable force transmitters that allow movement. Since discs are firmly attached to each vertebra they cannot physically slip. We now know that bending and loading the back is advantageous as it both strengthens the muscles and the discs.
Historically, people thought if we saw degeneration of discs on CT or MRI scans, that was bad and was the source of your pain. We now know degenerative changes on scans are normal and what we see on scans does not tell us anything about your pain or ability to bend and lift. In fact, you are more likely to have back pain if you brace your muscles and keep your back straight, compared to allowing your back to move the way it was designed to move.
At Burns Bay Physiotherapy we stay up to date with the latest changes in musculoskeletal medicine and bring these changes to help you get better long-term outcomes.
Published in “The Village Observer”, June, 2019. Written by Burns Bay Physiotherapy.