Some Common Misconceptions About Back Pain
Back pain is probably the most common complaint we receive at Yellow Gazebo. And it’s no wonder; we constantly do activities throughout our day that contribute to poor posture (like bending over improperly, lifting poorly or sitting incorrectly). And sometimes we’re doing all the right things (we think), but the pain appears anyway. Obviously the solution is to stop doing the wrong things, right? Maybe, but let’s look at some common misconceptions about back pain before we start blaming ourselves.
1. Rest. This is a tricky one to be sure; if you’re in acute back pain (i.e. the pain has just started or has worsened in the last few weeks) then you probably should avoid or limit the amount of exercise you’re doing. However, there are many exercises that you can do to prevent and even alleviate your back pain, and so resting and doing nothing will often keep you in pain instead of helping you find relief. Talk to one of our YG physiotherapists or chiropractors and ask if you should be exercising, and what exercises would be best for your particular condition.
2. Back Pain Means Something is Injured. Of course if you have injured your back then pain is likely, but pain in your back does not mean anything has actually been injured or something serious is going on. Rather than something such as a fracture, an infection, cancer or multiple nerve root compressions, oftentimes the pain back pain is just coming from sore muscles, and sometimes disc degeneration or herniation. And if you do have some disc degeneration or herniation, please don’t feel like this is necessarily a major life-changing diagnosis either; some work with a physiotherapist or chiropractor (plus a home exercise program suited for your own needs) can usually fix the issue without you needing any surgery.
3. There is One Perfect Way to Fix All Back Pain. It seems like the most common human trait that the easiest way must be the best way. Efficiency is certainly always helpful, but when it comes to alleviating back pain you want to make sure you find a solution that is not only effective but is lasting as well. Once injury has been ruled out, your best bet is to see either a chiropractor or a physiotherapist as these two professions are allowed to give you a diagnosis for your pain. And no, neither one is necessarily better than the other for back pain - you may even want to see both within a short time of each other to make sure you’ve covered all your bases. And be sure to ask about massage instead of assuming; sometimes massage can relieve back pain, but sometimes it can make it worse.
If you’d like some more information, would like to book a free consultation or would like to go ahead and schedule an appointment at Yellow Gazebo, please give us a call at 416-909-2334, email us at info@yellowgazeboclinic.com, or use the online booking link below. We’ll be happy to help you get on your way to optimum health.
