Reconceptualizing Pain

Chronic Low Back Pain?

February 13, 2020 by

Download the Chronic Low Back Pain – So Your Back Hurts… brochure.

The Institue of Health Economics, and Towards Optimal Practice, Alberta, have developed a brochure to help provide you and your health team with a better understanding of chronic low back pain, and better options for treatment. The information is based on an extensive review of current medical research for the treatment of people with chronic low back pain.

What Works, What Doesn’t?

The brochure takes you through frequently asked questions like “Is my back pain caused by something serious?” and “How can you be sure I don’t need surgery?” and provides resources along the way, like those from Choosing Wisely Canada, and McMaster Pain Assistant.

This information can help you, and your healthcare team, decide on an optimal course of treatment for your goals and pain experience by providing both recommendations for evaluated treatments, and information about treatments that could be harmful.

How Can Physiotherapy Help?

Tricia is knowledgable about musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, and can provide hands-on treatment combined with movement and exercise as part of your recovery plan.

These recommendations for treating back pain reflect the best practices and guidelines available, including when to get treatment. Tricia can give you information on how these recommendations came about, and provide reassurance if your doctor didn’t recommend a scan or didn’t prescribe medication. More importantly, she can help give you options for treatment that will put control and recovery back in your hands.

Example advice from the brochure:

As a general rule, the treatments for chronic low back pain do not cure the cause. The main idea of treatment is to reduce pain and increase the person’s ability to get on with their usual life.

Effective chronic pain management works best with treatments provided by a health professional together with what you can do to help yourself.

The following professionally delivered treatments have been shown to be effective:
•Acupuncture for short periods to relieve flare-ups of backpain or as part of an active treatment program
•Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
•Exercise and therapeutic exercise (including aquacise)
•Massage therapy as part of an active treatment program
•Multidisciplinary treatment program (for patients with severe pain and disability)
•Progressive muscle relaxation or electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback
•Yoga