The Truth Behind Treating Back Pain

Unfortunately, back pain issues happen to 80 percent of the population at one time or another and it is never a welcoming event or episode. The most aggravating thing about it, is all the things that are important to us gradually, or sometimes all of a sudden, become limited. No longer can we do the simple things that we never even thought about. The simple act of just taking one of the most cherished activities of pushing a stroller and either lifting or helping your grandchild in or out of it becomes painful and sometimes, an impossible thing to do.  [...]

Unfortunately, back pain issues happen to 80 percent of the population at one time or another and it is never a welcoming event or episode. The most aggravating thing about it, is all the things that are important to us gradually, or sometimes all of a sudden, become limited. No longer can we do the simple things that we never even thought about. The simple act of just taking one of the most cherished activities of pushing a stroller and either lifting or helping your grandchild in or out of it becomes painful and sometimes, an impossible thing to do. 

​There are a lot of words to describe how one feels when this type of thing happens to you. Some might say, “Hey, that’s a real bummer” while others, “that’s just terrible” and even those golden years aren’t as golden as you think. All of this is avoidable with the help of back treatment therapy near you  or even better in your home or office. Then there’s also the worry or fear that your children might think that it’s too hard on me to do things with my grandchildren and make other arrangements for their baby sitting needs.

Whatever people want to call it really doesn’t matter. What it all comes down to after all the frustration, stress and yes, anger that people have who are stuck in this situation is, what can I do to treat my low back pain, stop it and prevent it from ever coming back again?

Some people may have what appears to be a comparatively mild case in that the back pain is limited to their lower back region and it’s distribution can vary. In some cases, it’s centralized, other times it is greater on one side than another or all on one side with or without any central region pains. While others may have different signs and symptoms that involve radiating pain of various types ie aching, sharp stabbing, burning and/or numbness that radiates down one or both legs. Sometimes, the pain and/or numbness radiates above the knee and sometimes below the knee and not  always in the same pattern. It also can be present only in the buttock, hip,  leg or foot/toe regions without any low back pain.

While the comparatively mild case seems less urgent, the problem is that it often repeatedly occurs and the episodes become gradually almost unnoticeably closer and closer to each other with time. People may ask themselves why does this low back pain repeatedly keep happening to me?

​The answer to this lies in the fact that most people do not take the trouble to find out the why. Why is this happening to me or what are the causes of low back problems, is not something that will not go away by itself. People may get over their current episode of pain and not being able to do the things that are important to them, i.e. taking a simple stroller walk with their grandchild, but often it will return. 

The problem is, if they wait too long, they risk causing irreparable further damage to their spine that may require the dreaded use of our wonderful traditional establishment business-based and failing healthcare system model. Off you go to the physician repeatedly, waiting for who knows how long in the reception rooms, with medications that can upset your stomach and then go through appointment after appointment and test after test after test, i.e. blood and X-Rays looking for a disease, i.e. 99% of back problems are not a disease. 

What? No disease found? (OMG), let’s do one of those MRI things where you, after waiting weeks to get an appointment, are then put into a long narrow tube that is 1 inch from your nose and ears on either side. God help you, if you are claustrophobic! If you get through that, mind you, everything has to stop, before during and after another 1 to 2 weeks for the reading. Whether the results are considered positive or negative the next step might be injections &/or surgery. 

Assuming it’s injections let’s try some invasive painful needle injections of cortisone by my physician friend down the hall. Of course you have to wait again maybe another 4 to 6 weeks for an initial appointment that does not include an injection and then schedule your injection appointments. What? No change after the 1st one? Well we have to do this 3 times in total, 2 to 3 weeks apart before we know for sure if it’s going to help you! Lets see that’s 6 to 9 weeks before we know if this is going to help me? Sound familiar, test after test with God knows how much time is going by while you are still in pain and not getting any back treatment.

Some things that people don’t know is that numerous studies have shown a lot of this is a waste of time and money and is not necessary. For example, MRI studies were done on normal people randomly picked off the street with no complaints of any low back pain.. The results were sent to a radiologist who specializes in reading them and then the report results were sent to Orthopaedic Surgery Physicians who in the vast majority of cases recommended immediate surgery!

You say, NO, how can this happen? That can’t be true? The truth is that, the results of the studies proved that what physicians see on any of these tests does not mean that is what is causing the patient/client’s problems.

You say “Why did my physician send me on a wild goose chase that not only delayed my recovery, but cost me and the failing health care system a lot of time and money?” Yes, that is a good question and the only answer to that comes from another study and some common knowledge among non-physician health care providers who are Experts in the “Treatment” (ah, that word finally comes up, never thought it would, right?) of Musculoskeletal Pain and Dysfunction of the back. This is common knowledge not widely known by the pubic,  but physicians are not trained in the treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain and

Dysfunctions as a whole, and are focused on the disease oriented, cell biology model of medicine.

Sounds like you’re, biased, you say? Well, let’s look at another study of family physicians who saw patients with complaints of Pain and Musculoskeletal Dysfunction asking them how many of their patients they referred to a Physical Therapist Back Expert for appropriate functional examination and treatment. 
The answer was 7%. 

That means that 93% of patients seen by their physician were not referred to the fastest and least costly way to get better that is all natural.

This information coupled with the fact that almost all of low back pain problems are Musculoskeletal in nature, points you in the right direction and answers your most important question: What should do? 
If you are one of the vast majority of people that are in that 93% group. The answer is quite simple - Call your local Back Expert Physical Therapist near you and make an appointment to let them help you. It’s easy to do and they have probably seen your same signs and symptoms hundreds, if not thousands of times. Low back pain therapy can provide you with significant relief, enough to make you forget about surgeries and medications. 

You no longer need a referral to see a licensed Physical Therapist in Hawaii, and some come to your home or office to provide completely natural one on one hands on treatments as we do. Chirico Physical Therapy & Wellness, provides in-your home or office therapy and treatment services in the Kailua, HI and the East Oahu regions. Let us help get you back on the road to recovery! Give us a call at (909) 345-3370 to book your low back pain evaluation and treatment.


Wishing you a rapid recovery.


Peter Chirico PT, Back Expert