Back pain can be insufferable to such an extent that sufferers are prepared to try anything to ease it — even drinking their own urine. Indeed, a survey of chiropractors has also discovered some patients even invite their children to jump on them in the hope it will help ease their persistent lumbar pain.
New research reveals that back pain is not only poorly understood but is now becoming increasingly common with an estimated one in 10 Britons experiencing it more regularly.
Back in the office today? Remember to think about your posture to avoid desk-related back pain https://t.co/pzaiuy9kNy
— BCA (@ChiropracticUK) September 18, 2017
The study by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) found that 50 percent of people believe you should always rest a bad back — increasing to 64 percent in 16 to 24-year-olds — yet moderate activity is usually the best idea.
Additionally, over 40 percent believe back or neck pain is simply part of the ageing process when in fact lifestyle factors such as inactivity are more often to blame than old age.
Furthermore, only one third of people are aware that simply keeping well hydrated can also help prevent back pain.
Whether you are 20 or 70, there are steps you can take to improve your posture and prevent #backpain https://t.co/UvOfYuYQH8
— BCA (@ChiropracticUK) September 15, 2017
Now the BCA is calling for greater awareness of the causes, preventive measures and best treatment for back pain.
"I see patients every week who share their strange stories about how they've tried to cure their back pain or why they think if they're suffering in the first place and, while some of these may seem amusing, there is a really serious message here. If people don't know enough about what causes back pain or how best to treat it they could not only delay their recovery but potentially aggravate their problem," Dr. Rishi Loatey, BCA chiropractor, said.
"Some 80 percent of people will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives so it's really concerning that so many people still don't know enough about the best way to look after your back," he added.
Chronic back pain causes more disability than any other condition in the UK, however, and is now the second most common cause of absence from work, resulting in the loss of four million working days a year.
Yet there is no one given treatment that will universally help sufferers as the problem often varies drastically from person to person, forcing many to suffer from it for years as they grow older.
Recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not now recommend methods previously thought to work, such as acupuncture, painkillers and, in more extreme cases, surgery.
Most chiropractors believe exercise is actually the best form of therapy despite nearly half of people quizzed in a survey involving 2,000 back sufferers thought rest was best.
