Decades of back pain is preventable

Written by Sundial Clinics Thursday, 4 August 2011 06:39

It is a disturbing fact that most people who get a bout of back pain go on to get it year after year. A recent study(1) found that 4 out five people had episodes of back pain over 20 years later. This is especially concerning because they had attended their GP initially and this had obviously failed to bring them long term relief.

There were other factors which were also looked at to see if they could be the cause of this long term pain. The severity of the pain as well the clinical signs and work history were examined to see if these were likely to upset back problems. Interestingly only how hard individuals perceived they worked seemed to have a negative influence on the pain two decades later.

Why do back problems become long-term?

It is likely that most long-term back problems are caused by many factors. Some, like work related stress, can play a key role but probably the single most important influence over the past few decades has been poor initial treatment. In his 1999 book The Back Pain Revolution, Dr Gordon Waddell described how “the medical model of back pain was inadequate for evaluating and treating many patients.” He showed how bed rest and pain-killers, the mainstay of treatment at the time actually contributed to more back pain.

Things have improved since then. Bed rest is not routinely prescribed anymore; exercise and encouragement to stay active are recommended by the NICE guidelines and most GP’s, if not all, are aware of these recommendations. Pain-killers and anti-inflammatory drugs are still also recommended although the incidence of serious side-effects can be a concern.

But it is not all good news for back sufferers though. The recent well publicised increases in NHS waiting times are likely to delay prompt treatment for back pain. Physiotherapy departments are being stretched more and more and the waiting times rarely approached the recommended maximum wait of 6 weeks even at the best of times. Few physiotherapy departments employ specialist manipulative physio’s, fewer still an osteopath or chiropractor, in spite of this being a key recommendation of the NICE guidelines. This means  patients are still being denied the best care.

How to prevent long-term back pain

There are some simple guidelines to prevent a bit of back ache becoming an ongoing, recurrent disabling problem. Put simply it is not to ignore it. All the evidence is that back pain tends to keep coming back if the underlying causes are not dealt with. Most simple low back pain is a caused by a combination of stiffness in the spinal joints, often brought on by poor posture. Poor trunk muscle conditioning also leads to spinal joint damage. So the simple solution to prevent chronic back trouble is:-

• get the stiff joints unlocked by a chiropractor or osteopath
• do regular trunk muscle exercises for core stability
• watch you posture whilst lifting, sitting and other daily activities

If back problems keep on recurring or an episode lasts more than a few days you might need help from us to get back to normal activities. If you are unsure then we offer a free initial check to see if you have a problem that may be helped by our chiropractors or physiotherapists.

(1)

Early predictors of the long-term outcome of low back pain—results of a 22-year prospective cohort study

Cliff Cox Ex-English Surf Champ speaks about Sundial

Written by Sundial Clinics Wednesday, 25 May 2011 03:26

Cliff Cox is one on Britain’s top surfers and lives here in Brighton. He has won the English Masters Championship twice, the South Coast Championships several times and won a bronze medal at European level. He has done all this  and yet has suffered bouts of back pain for years. He believes his participation in elite surfing has put considerable stresses and strains on his back and knees.

He has been a client at Sundial now since 1998 and attributes his long career to Matthew and the team at Sundial. He says

“I have had really bad back problems off and on Matthew sorts me out every time. I recently had a knee injury where my ligaments became strained and between Matthew and Antony [the physio at Sundial], I am coming through it”

Cliff also runs the South Coast’s leading surf school Pure Spirit Surf School based here in Brighton.

Back pain and dog walking. Tips for prevention

Written by Sundial Clinics Monday, 4 April 2011 11:09

Could this cute dog cause back pain?

Walking your dog and avoiding back ache

Bend your knees

Muki and I

When you have to bend down to greet your puppy or smaller dog always bend your knees. It may seem obvious but so many of us just bend our backs and as a result take all the strain through those muscles and joints. Add to that the awkward positions that we can get in trying to coax our puppy in training classes to follow our lead and you can imagine how tired those muscles get. And to then get into our car and drive home again can often spell an aching evening and set up for a bigger problem later on.

Regular breaks

Avoid lifting them up

Sensible footwear

Warm up

Vary routines

Go off road

Start horsing around

Amanda Goring

Chiropractor

Preventing back pain caused by cycling

Written by Sundial Clinics Sunday, 20 February 2011 08:26

Here are some top tips to prevent back and neck pain caused by cycling. How you position yourself, how you set your bike up for you and even what clothing and equipment you use can have a massive impact.

When most of us begin cycling – either just to work, on odd weekends or as a pleasurable sport – we are largely under the impression that the hardest aspect is building up our fitness to a level that is sufficient to cycle to the top of the notorious local steep hill (or just to make it to our destination without collapsing from an angina attack). However there is a lot more to the cycling than just having balance enough to stay on or a steely determination to keep pedalling.

Tips to prevent back and shoulder pains in photographers

Written by Sundial Clinics Monday, 11 October 2010 02:57

Back pain, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain are common in photographers. Unlike many other pursuits photography pains are not confined to those of us who dabble occasionally with their SLR and who are therefore ‘unfit’ with the crouching postures, running for shots or even just the transporting of the camera.

Top tips to avoid back pain when moving house

Written by Sundial Clinics Monday, 4 October 2010 03:59

Everyone knows that moving house is listed as one of the top 3 most stressful events of anyone’s life, following closely behind  bereavement and marriage.   Having just moved house and recently said “I do” within a month of each other myself I can certainly vouch for that! But taking action to minimise the physical stresses will ensure that the transition into your new house is as smooth as possible and leaves you with only boxes to unpack not a need for painkillers and  avoidable chiropractic appointments.

10 Top Tips to Prevent Back Pain on Holiday

Written by Sundial Clinics Saturday, 24 July 2010 02:27

Watch your back

At this time of year we start to see several people who have injured themselves on holiday. It is not the sort of holidays that you might expect either. Rather than activity holidays like biking, kayaking, tennis and walking trips it is the inactivity holidays that are worst culprit. As stress builds leading up to the departure date, aches and pains start to recur before people even get to their destination.

Acupuncture & Chiropractic recommended on the NHS

Written by Sundial Clinics Wednesday, 27 May 2009 03:55

NICE, an advisory body to the NHS, are actively recommending alternative therapies for the treatment of ongoing back pain:

Patients whose back pain has continued for more than six weeks but less than a year should be offered a choice of 12-weeks of complementary therapy on the NHS, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has concluded.

Patients should be able to choose between eight exercise classes over 12 weeks in a class or individually, nine sessions of manipulation which could be performed by a chiropractor, osteopath, or specially trained physiotherapists and doctors, or ten sessions of acupuncture over 12 weeks.

Richard talks to Daily Mail

Written by Sundial Clinics Wednesday, 4 March 2009 04:02

Our very own Dr Richard Hollis, talks to the Daily Mail about chairs and gadgets to protect your back. He says ‘Contrary to popular belief, most back injuries happen due to inactivity, rather than excessive activity.’The discs between each vertebra in your back have no blood supply of their own, but rely on movement to maintain their health, he explains

‘Each minute movement of the body allows them to suck in fluid and secrete waste products. If you don’t move, then the discs can become compressed, triggering damage and back pain.

‘If your back, neck or shoulders ache after sitting too long in one position, this is due to a build-up of lactic acid,’ he adds. Lactic acid is a waste product released into the muscles, which can cause them to ache.

Matthew talks to BBC on back pain in children

Written by Sundial Clinics Friday, 14 November 2008 04:10

Nearly half of Britain’s children have suffered from back pain before reaching their 11th birthday, new research has found. Dr Matthew Bennett, from Sundial, talked to BBC’s Newsround about it. Experts believe the trend is largely down to children’s sedentary lifestyles.

A survey by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) found that 45 per cent of 11-year-olds have experienced back pain, and 32 per cent of youngsters have had problems by the age of six or seven. More than four fifths of six to 15-year-olds admitting that they spend most of their half term sitting down for computer games or television.

Matthew Bennett from Sundial Chiropractic Clinic, in Brighton commented: ‘This survey clearly highlights the alarming rate at which back pain is growing within the UK.’

Dr Bennett advised parents to ensure their children do not carry unnecessary items in their bags and that they wear a rucksack with a strap over each shoulder.

He also described the nation’s lack of exercise as ‘children’s number one enemy’ and asked that parents encourage spending time outdoors being active. On cold and wet days this can be a challenge.  Active games indoors can help and whilst gadgets like the Wii Fit may have a role there is no substitute for running around, ball games and balance activities outside.

Click on the image below to see Matthew talking to BBC’s Newsround: