3 Chronic Back Pain Myths

Frequently, we talk to patients and acquaintances about back pain. There is a lot of confusion about why back pain happens and how it should be treated. As a physical therapist I have heard it all and seen it all when it comes to back pain "causes" and "treatments".

Myth #1. Your back is out of alignment.

X-rays of the spine, palpation or visual observation for alignment to find subluxations (vertebrae that are "out of place") are approaches that are not backed by scientific research. The buy-in to the belief of being "out of place" as the cause for back pain is counter-productive to proper treatment. The belief that your back may fall in and out of place is minimizing your bodies structural stability to that of a Jenga tower. Backs are inherently strong structures that are made to last a lifetime and the human body is not perfectly symmetrical and that is okay. Research even supports that there is no higher incidence in back pain for people with mild to moderate scoliosis or leg length differences less than an inch.

Myth #2. Arthritis causes back pain.

You read that correctly. Arthritis is a normal part of aging in the spine. There was a study completed that included over a thousand people without back pain and guess what; most older adults had arthritis and it was common in all age groups. This also means that for those with back pain and arthritis it is possible to be pain-free with proper treatment. Personally I have seen people with "bad" arthritis with no pain and "minimal" arthritis on disability due to back pain. It's a true phenomenon.

Myth #3. Traction/Lasers/E-stim/Adjustments/Acupuncture are solutions to back pain.

In the long run these probably make the problem worse as they divert from more modern, clinically proven and effective long term treatments for chronic back pain. Passive modalities (any machine or technology used for treatment) are not recommended at all based on modern research. Things such as adjustments and manual therapies are considered "adjunctive" treatment at best and are controversial. For chronic back pain modern research indicates that the first line treatments are education on condition, exercise therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

The good news is Level Up Physical Therapy has your back. We offer treatments that are in-line with modern research and are proven to be effective. Our cutting edge treatments leverage a holistic approach towards back pain including cognitive functional therapy, education and in-task graded exposure to activity to get your back to the next level.