Back Pain: 10 Facts You Must Know

Please enjoy these up to date, research-based facts about low back pain. Hopefully, they are helpful in understanding your condition, providing new and positive insights, and potentially challenge some older and outdated beliefs.

You can even discuss these with your doctor or health professional related to your individual case. #

1. Rarely Dangerous

Low back pain is not a serious life-threatening medical condition. Only 1% of all cases are diagnosed as life-threatening or emergencies.

2. Ageing

Most episodes of low back pain improve and the chances of low back pain getting worse as we age doesn’t increase.

3. Scan

Scans like MRI and X-Ray don’t determine the prognosis of the current low back pain episode, the likelihood of future low back disability, and don’t improve low back pain outcomes. Find out more on low back disc bulge facts.

4. Sore…but safe

You can move and exercise your spine in all directions. This is safe and healthy for it.

5. Posture

Spine posture during sitting, standing and lifting doesn’t determine low back pain or whether it becomes long-term or chronic.

6. Negative mindset not tissue damage

Difficulty coping with pain, negative expectations about recovery, avoiding activity because of fear, and a negative mindset are more likely to be related to long-term low back pain than tissue damage.

7. Pain

Pain flare-ups are rarely due to low back structural damage. They are more likely due to changes in activity, stress, and mood.

8. Loading & bending

Spine movement and loading the spine with daily activities are safe and builds structural resilience when increased gradually.

9. Strength

A weak core doesn’t cause low back pain. In fact, some people with low back pain can over tense their ‘core’ muscles which can make them worse. While it is useful to keep your trunk muscles strong, it is just as helpful to relax them when they aren’t needed as much. Most often, ‘core’ muscles work just enough and engage automatically. General strengthening should can adopted to add to the persons capacity and resilience.

10. Care

Effective care for low back pain is relatively inexpensive and safe. The most important pillars of low back pain care include:

Person-centred education that develops a positive mindset about their back, and coaching people in a supportive way to optimise their own physical and mental health (regular physical activity/exercise they enjoy, partake in social activities, maintain healthy sleep habits and body weight, remaining in work or volunteering positions.

# Peter B O’Sullivan et al. 2020 (British Journal or Sports Medicine)