Treat the cause, not the symptom: 6 steps to a healthy back

Back pain is difficult, annoying, and often debilitating. And if the cause of your back injury isn’t treated, the best result you will receive from treatment is temporary.

More than 70 per cent of chronic back pain comes from a facet joint, sacroiliac joint or disc. And now, data shows that 42% of the population is using non-medical approaches, such as alternative or complementary medicine for back problems.

So, where do you start? Well, it’s all about making everyday changes, according to Chiropractor Adam Gavine and Chiropractor & Osteopath Rod Bonello, authors of Back Pain: how to build core stability for long-lasting relief. Here are their top tips for treating the cause, and not the symptom of back pain.

1. Get a good diagnosis
According to Gavine and Bonello, the major reason practitioners fail to resolve chronic low back pain is because they fail to diagnose it correctly.

“No specific medical diagnosis is made in approximately 90 per cent of low back pain patients,” say Gavine and Bonello. “If you are given a specific diagnosis, you have a much better chance of seeing results from tailored treatment.”

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2. Find the right practitioner to help you
“Often, the practitioner is not skilled enough to fix the problem,” according to Gavine and Bonello. “With an experienced practitioner, the likelihood of their skill being inadequate decreases dramatically.”

Don’t be afraid to ask your practitioner to tell you exactly what your diagnosis is – so that at the very least, if you need to seek alternative advice, you have your correct medical records to work with.

When choosing a practitioner to suit you, consider your own values and their alignment with the practise, personal recommendations, and results. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations or testimonies from clients with similar pain. But remember, the most important practitioner is the one that meets your needs, not that of others.

3.Build core strength, not endurance
“Research shows that decreased core-stability muscle endurance is predictive of low back pain,” according to Gavine and Bonello. “Exercises for core stability are believed to be protective, preventative and rehabilitative for back problems.”

You can increase your core-stability by learning exercises that are not difficult to do and can be integrated into your daily lifestyle.

“If done properly, these exercises improve the endurance of the core stabilisers and make a huge difference in how your back feels and functions”, say Gavine and Bonello.

Gavine and Bonello advocate that you need to train each section of your core muscles – of which there are four – to attain balanced function. They recommend you focus on core stability endurance, not strength.

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4. Don’t let ‘fear avoidance behaviour’ stop you getting better
People with chronic pain often become so fearful of causing pain that they avoid doing movements or activities that you would normally do.

Gavine and Bonello acknowledge that this often becomes a problem because “if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

If you’re fearful of an action or activity, speak to your practitioner about your fears, and what it is that has you anxious about receiving treatment. A good practitioner will be able to give you treatment options to suit your own needs.

5. Listen to your body
Nobody knows your body better than you – so the most important thing is to listen to your body.

“If any exercise causes or aggravates your pain, you must stop that exercise immediately,” say Gavine and Bonello.

“Exercise therapy can be strenuous, but it should not exacerbate your pain or have you push through a pain barrier. Doing that will probably make your back worsen, or just cause unnecessary pain.”

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6. Prevention is better than cure
Like managing the engine of your car, you should work on your back even when you’re feeling good. A good practitioner will find problems you didn’t even know you had, which can prevent further serious problems or injuries arising.

Further reading:

Gavine, A & Bonello, R – Back Pain: How to build core stability for long-lasting relief