Back pain may just be the start of our health problems

Lower back pain is the most common for of pain in Australia – at any one time, it is estimated that one in 10 Australians are experiencing back pain.

And with this pain comes stress. New research released by the Arthritis Research UK has found that back pain leads to damaged relationships, people withdrawing from society, and becoming isolated and depressed.

Lead researcher, Dr Rob Froud, explains that patients with low back pain seek diagnosis, treatment and cure – but often they need other assurance and advice to quell fears and issues associated with back pain.

Other fears included loss of employment, not being believed that there was anything wrong with them because the pain had no apparent cause, and loss of control over their lives.

Published in the online journal, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, the research suggests that doctors need to give greater weight to the broader impact of back pain, rather than simply concentrating on the patient’s pain and disability.

People who are in constant pain worry – about work, about getting on with daily activities. Nearly a third of people living with the physical and emotional toll of constant pain become clinically depressed.

Jerome Schofferman, MD, of the North American Spine Society, says: “People will avoid activities that they fear might either make their pain worse or [cause them to] reinjure themselves.”

But avoiding physical activity will only do harm to your body in the long term – with rehabilitation specialists suggesting that we work on getting the muscles strong again once the acute episode of pain has settled.

Separate research in the United States show a wide range of limitations on family and social roles, including physical impacts that hampered the ability to take part in raising children and to engage in leisure activities with their spouses.

So, what’s the solution? There’s no one-fix-all, but Scofferman says: “You need to treat the structural problem, and the psychological problem.”

Of course, speak to your doctor first

Sources:

Coping strategies to maintain strong ties to your loved ones
http://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/how-chronic-pain-affects-relationships.aspx