Back pain and NHS
Discussion
Appreciate any guidance on this.
Over the last 2 years my family member has been trying to get her back pain diagnosed with NHS, however the GPs in Cardiff seem to fob her off with
co-codamol, ibuprofen and paracetamol. I mean GP doesn't exactly have x-ray vision to see what's going on inside!
As the pain is getting worse, are they not obliged to help her? I would have though they would send her to get an MRI / CT Scan done and then to see a specialist?
Is there something we should be saying to her GP or propose a complaint to relevant department?
Thanks!
Over the last 2 years my family member has been trying to get her back pain diagnosed with NHS, however the GPs in Cardiff seem to fob her off with
co-codamol, ibuprofen and paracetamol. I mean GP doesn't exactly have x-ray vision to see what's going on inside!
As the pain is getting worse, are they not obliged to help her? I would have though they would send her to get an MRI / CT Scan done and then to see a specialist?
Is there something we should be saying to her GP or propose a complaint to relevant department?
Thanks!
I've lived with a "bad back" for about 10 years now, been through the whole NHS system.
IIRC for you to get past the "take two of these three times a day" the bad back has to have a detrimental effect to your quality of life. (ie; so not "it's stiff and aches a bit" but "most days I just can't get out of bed"
IIRC for you to get past the "take two of these three times a day" the bad back has to have a detrimental effect to your quality of life. (ie; so not "it's stiff and aches a bit" but "most days I just can't get out of bed"
227bhp said:
Yes it's quite simple, you move away from a motoring forum, pick up the phone and book a Doctors appointment, on seeing them you explain the situation fully and ask what can be done.
HTH and let us know how you get on.
Thanks and I hope you misunderstood my post, upon asking GP what can be done, they respond with "take xyz 3 times a day and live with it".HTH and let us know how you get on.
Not advocating lying, but a tingly leg because of a bad back "should" get you further than meds.
I've had back trouble for about 7 years after a bad car accident in which I fractured my spine, even getting sufficient treatment for that was and has been very difficult from the NHS. The immediate after care and physio took way too long to get through the system that it's left with me with life long issues.
I started to pay for private in the end, it's been well worth it.
I've had back trouble for about 7 years after a bad car accident in which I fractured my spine, even getting sufficient treatment for that was and has been very difficult from the NHS. The immediate after care and physio took way too long to get through the system that it's left with me with life long issues.
I started to pay for private in the end, it's been well worth it.
RickRolled said:
227bhp said:
Yes it's quite simple, you move away from a motoring forum, pick up the phone and book a Doctors appointment, on seeing them you explain the situation fully and ask what can be done.
HTH and let us know how you get on.
Thanks and I hope you misunderstood my post, upon asking GP what can be done, they respond with "take xyz 3 times a day and live with it".HTH and let us know how you get on.
It's the sad state of our NHS i'm afraid, but that is what you have to do otherwise they just overlook you.
RickRolled said:
227bhp said:
Yes it's quite simple, you move away from a motoring forum, pick up the phone and book a Doctors appointment, on seeing them you explain the situation fully and ask what can be done.
HTH and let us know how you get on.
Thanks and I hope you misunderstood my post, upon asking GP what can be done, they respond with "take xyz 3 times a day and live with it".HTH and let us know how you get on.
Finally I saw our company doctor who diagnosed chronic back pain and booked me in with a physio. The physio said I had scoliosis and was using the wrong muscles (which were constantly tense).
I ended up having about 6 months physio.
OP, your relative needs to either chase their GP or change their GP.
I've been through the system a couple times with back pain and I'm back in there again now.
Mine appears to be facet joint pain with little or no disc involvement; plenty serious enough to impact on my daily life but nowhere near severe enough for surgery which can make it complicated to get sufficient attention from the NHS. The standard route at my GP is to refer to a physio clinic who will waste a year telling me how to do the stretches I've been doing for a decade and then decide that there's little more they can do [/cynicmode].
The way I've bypassed this is to start with a private referral to a spinal consultant (surgeon). This will cost money but not all that much (£200ish) and bypasses loads of messing round. If the consultant thinks there's something serious wrong they can move it forward via the NHS (or private but then it does get costly), if it doesn't look like a surgical or imminent problem then you can continue in the system.
Next thing (if there isn't a direct treatment of cause indicated) is to get an NHS referral to your local pain clinic. I assume that all areas have these (?), they specialise not in treating conditions but alleviating pain. This will no doubt involve a wait of a month or three to get an appointment but the sooner the referral is made the sooner the appointment lands! Again, this stuff is available privately but it can start getting costly.
In my case, last time, this involved a nerve branch block. It's a fun procedure where they start by injecting a combination of anaesthetic and steroid into the nerve stems as they exit your spine to see if it get's rid of the pain. In my case it did - I hadn't slept so well in ten years!
Unfortunately this doesn't last for long (about a week in my case) so they then go in and burn out the nerves at the same location. This is slightly less effective (in my experience) but much longer lasting and for me at least has made things manageable for a number of years (alongside regular core training to support the back etc).
I'm back to daily pain now, particularly bad for the first few hours of each day, so I'm starting again. Consultant reckons it's all looking the same as last time but recommended an MRI to be sure which the GP has referred me for, I've also been referred to the pain clinic.
I saw the GP in late October, consultant two weeks later, MRI and first clinic appointment are both mid-Jan. Hopefully I'll be in line for some treatment some time in March.
It's a long road but there are solutions out there that stretch beyond popping pills; if your relatives GP isn't on side with this then they either need their mind changing or a new GP is required.
Just my experience and may only describe one of the many causes of back pain and how it can be treated but I hope it helps give some ideas about moving things forward.
I've been through the system a couple times with back pain and I'm back in there again now.
Mine appears to be facet joint pain with little or no disc involvement; plenty serious enough to impact on my daily life but nowhere near severe enough for surgery which can make it complicated to get sufficient attention from the NHS. The standard route at my GP is to refer to a physio clinic who will waste a year telling me how to do the stretches I've been doing for a decade and then decide that there's little more they can do [/cynicmode].
The way I've bypassed this is to start with a private referral to a spinal consultant (surgeon). This will cost money but not all that much (£200ish) and bypasses loads of messing round. If the consultant thinks there's something serious wrong they can move it forward via the NHS (or private but then it does get costly), if it doesn't look like a surgical or imminent problem then you can continue in the system.
Next thing (if there isn't a direct treatment of cause indicated) is to get an NHS referral to your local pain clinic. I assume that all areas have these (?), they specialise not in treating conditions but alleviating pain. This will no doubt involve a wait of a month or three to get an appointment but the sooner the referral is made the sooner the appointment lands! Again, this stuff is available privately but it can start getting costly.
In my case, last time, this involved a nerve branch block. It's a fun procedure where they start by injecting a combination of anaesthetic and steroid into the nerve stems as they exit your spine to see if it get's rid of the pain. In my case it did - I hadn't slept so well in ten years!
Unfortunately this doesn't last for long (about a week in my case) so they then go in and burn out the nerves at the same location. This is slightly less effective (in my experience) but much longer lasting and for me at least has made things manageable for a number of years (alongside regular core training to support the back etc).
I'm back to daily pain now, particularly bad for the first few hours of each day, so I'm starting again. Consultant reckons it's all looking the same as last time but recommended an MRI to be sure which the GP has referred me for, I've also been referred to the pain clinic.
I saw the GP in late October, consultant two weeks later, MRI and first clinic appointment are both mid-Jan. Hopefully I'll be in line for some treatment some time in March.
It's a long road but there are solutions out there that stretch beyond popping pills; if your relatives GP isn't on side with this then they either need their mind changing or a new GP is required.
Just my experience and may only describe one of the many causes of back pain and how it can be treated but I hope it helps give some ideas about moving things forward.
I've back pain since march, you just have to slog it out, get a referral (tell them to refer you) describe the pain well and any other associated sensations, describe the things you cant do, I stopped wearing socks for example, couldn't drive for more than 10 minutes without crying. Also tell them that you cant take co-codomal as you don't feel safe on them (they made me very washy, high, I felt unsafe driving on them), then for me it was onto the physiotherapist who made things worse (after doing weekly yoga and seeing a Chiropractic for 5 sessions).
Bonus points for having 2 ambulances called to work, first time for chest pain (I had pain in my shoulders) and 2nd time for numb feet.
Ive finally had an MRI 2 months ago and found ive herniated a disc. Ive also found that standing but doing absolutely no exercise is the best treatment. Im finally on the mend.
Bonus points for having 2 ambulances called to work, first time for chest pain (I had pain in my shoulders) and 2nd time for numb feet.
Ive finally had an MRI 2 months ago and found ive herniated a disc. Ive also found that standing but doing absolutely no exercise is the best treatment. Im finally on the mend.
Everyone has different conditions, some are quite serious which require surgery and some can be resolved without. So from that point, it could be harmful to take specific advice from anyone on this forum because those circumstances are specific to that person.
I have seen many physios, chiros, and osteopaths over the years for many different back and neck pains. Each one has given me good advice over the years but it has been a long drag to build up the knowledge to understand the best way to deal with my conditions.
The key thing is to get an understanding of the cause of your current condition and not expect miracles. Physios etc. can not cure your pain but they can help alleviate the symptons and target the cause. Once you understand what is causing the pain then you can start to work towards a better life even if it means having to live with it by working round it.
You have to understand the pain often comes from a branch of the nervous system. For example, a tingling in the arm or a neck pain can be caused by an upper back problem. The nerves on the spine branch out to the arm or neck which causes the pain elsewhere.
Some of the time, exercises in the target area help to straighten out knotted nerves which are causing the pain. This is where the physio comes into it. Exercises need to be methodical and controlled working opposite muscles to balance otherwise you can cause other problems. The physio can guide you to the right exercises for you.
The hard part is the discipline. If you are given a routine, you have to believe in it and stick with it religiously. It can take a couple of weeks before you see any benefit. For example, I have a lower back pain near coccyx which makes it very uncomfortable to sit down. My GP noted that I had week lower back exercise near the pelvis. He pointed me to www.backcare.org.uk where they had a set of routine exercises and I have been doing them every morning, getting up 15 minutes earlier. This has relieved my pain by strengthening those muscles.
Unfortunately that pdf file is no longer on their website. OP, I will try to PM them to you but they may not necessarily be appropriate for you.
If you cannot take the long waiting list from GP/NHS, like others have said, you will have to go private and pay for it.
I have seen many physios, chiros, and osteopaths over the years for many different back and neck pains. Each one has given me good advice over the years but it has been a long drag to build up the knowledge to understand the best way to deal with my conditions.
The key thing is to get an understanding of the cause of your current condition and not expect miracles. Physios etc. can not cure your pain but they can help alleviate the symptons and target the cause. Once you understand what is causing the pain then you can start to work towards a better life even if it means having to live with it by working round it.
You have to understand the pain often comes from a branch of the nervous system. For example, a tingling in the arm or a neck pain can be caused by an upper back problem. The nerves on the spine branch out to the arm or neck which causes the pain elsewhere.
Some of the time, exercises in the target area help to straighten out knotted nerves which are causing the pain. This is where the physio comes into it. Exercises need to be methodical and controlled working opposite muscles to balance otherwise you can cause other problems. The physio can guide you to the right exercises for you.
The hard part is the discipline. If you are given a routine, you have to believe in it and stick with it religiously. It can take a couple of weeks before you see any benefit. For example, I have a lower back pain near coccyx which makes it very uncomfortable to sit down. My GP noted that I had week lower back exercise near the pelvis. He pointed me to www.backcare.org.uk where they had a set of routine exercises and I have been doing them every morning, getting up 15 minutes earlier. This has relieved my pain by strengthening those muscles.
Unfortunately that pdf file is no longer on their website. OP, I will try to PM them to you but they may not necessarily be appropriate for you.
If you cannot take the long waiting list from GP/NHS, like others have said, you will have to go private and pay for it.
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