Say Goodbye to Back Pain

evaluation first

when back pain

occurs

Hence, t he first thing that we must do when we are
incapacitated due to back pain is to obtain a thorough
evaluation by our local doctor or even better, an
orthopod.

Management of back pain: Red Flags

There are plenty of flow charts that describe what the physician should do to manage a
case of back pain. There are very few charts that tell you and me, the victims, what
should be the course of action when we have an acute attack of back pain or are suffering
from chronic back pain. Let us therefore create a simple algorithm that we need to follow
based on the charts already in existence. This will provide us with a coherent, concrete
plan of action rather than messing around with an ala carte menu of therapies that
provide either temporary relief or none at all.

When I say back pain, I am not referring to the minor twinges that we feel from time to
time due to improper weight lifting or posture. The pain has to be severe enough to
prevent us from getting out of bed or straightening the back after bending forward to tie
shoelaces (incidentally, this is a fairly common cause for acute back pain) or walking
normally. Something must appear to have seized in our back that causes unbearable pain
on even the slightest movement.

So, what do we do when we get this type of back pain?

Almost every article or book that I have read on this subject says that we should try some
sort of home care remedies and exercises for two weeks before seeking medical help. But
what if we do really have a pathological cause for our back pain? Should we not try to
exclude this in the first instance? If no pathological cause is found, we can at least heave
a sigh of relief that it is not serious and then go about trying to resolve the symptoms. On
the other hand, if there is a major problem, we may actually worsen the situation by
delaying the diagnosis and administering

inappropriate treatment. Obtain a thorough medical