Back pain, causes & prevention

10/01/2020

Back pain is common! It is a physical discomfort occurring anywhere on the spine or back, ranging from mild to disabling. Most people will experience it at the dome stage in their lives. While it can be debilitating, there is a lot you can do to help. Common causes of back pain include being overweight, heavy lifting, poor structure, being sedentary, prolonged sitting and lying down, wearing a poorly fitting backpack or sudden awkward movements.

Estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017–18 National Health estimate about 4.0 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives.

A number of factors increase the likelihood that the pain will become persistent like having a negative attitude about your recovery, a history of anxiety or depression, or work-related injuries. In most cases, imaging such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs are not needed. They can be costly and expose you to unnecessary radiation. After excluding serious causes of back pain, much of the road to recovery is up to you.

Here are some tips to improve your back pain:

Stay active
Exercise
Lose weight
Improve your posture
Do physiotherapy
Quit smoking
Strengthen your core
Relax
And stay positive.

Red flags

Be aware of the red flags for back pain:

Duration more than 6 weeks
Age under 18 or over 50 years old
Incontinence
Numbness/ pins & needles
Weight loss
Night pain
Unremitting pain
History of trauma
History of cancer
Fever or night sweats
History of IV drug use
Recent Surgery

Over the counter medication such as paracetamol and ibuprofen may help. Most back pain will last less than 6 weeks.

If you have concerns about your back pain or experience red flags please see your GP

At Familywise Medical Practice we provide a comprehensive range of services for your medical and healthcare needs. Bulk billing is available. Get to know our General Practitioners:

References:

Back pain, available at Two GP Mums

Back pain, available at https://g.co/kgs/uccGRz

Back problems, what are back problems, available at https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/back-problems/contents/what-are-back-problems