Why don’t we have a “cure” for low back pain?

Low back pain can be considered a global epidemic.  It affects hundreds of millions around the world, and costs billions in lost productivity.  Not to mention the psychological, financial and social toll it takes on those who deal with low back pain either on a daily basis or every few months.

There are SO MANY causes of low back pain, and different tissues in the low back that can produce pain that using the blanket term “low back pain” is a disservice to those who suffer from it.  Is it the disc?  The facet? Which facet? Is it ligament? Is it muscle?  Is it a combination of these? There are hundreds – if not thousands – of books written on the topic.  A quick search on youtube for “low back pain remedy” yields over 3 MILLION results, but the problem is that YOUR back pain is different from MY back pain which is different from your co-worker’s back pain, and so on and so on.  Often, practitioners don’t have the time or the expertise in the multitudes of low back disorders to properly diagnose and treat each case as they should.  So, analgesics and/ or therapy are prescribed, and if those blanket treatments don’t work, you fall into the category “undiagnosed low back pain.”

So, what should we do?   Find an expert of low back pain!

The lower back is a finely tuned machine that can easily be thrown out of balance by countless causes.  This loss of proper mechanics can lead to tissue damage, which then leads to pain.  Finding a clinician who can identify what caused your low back pain and can prescribe treatment specific to you is vitally important to getting you out of pain.  Then you must follow through on that treatment.  When you have an expert in your corner, the odds of finally being rid of low back pain are BACK in your favor!