Chronic back pain - wrong treatment?
Discussion
In The Times today there's an article on the front page, and a leader, on the NHS treatment of chronic back pain (CBP).
A lot seems to be focused on cost, but it follows from a couple of articles in The Lancet, one of which I read a few years ago.
It says nothing new about treatment of back pain, and merely suggests that the £540 for a steroid injection should not be seen as the first option.
My experience is that it is not. I had CBP for some years, it becoming progressively worse. I found that cycling helped and would put in 200 miles a week, mainly off road. An MRI scan, which the article suggests is not required (not sure about that), showed that one cause of my back pain was cycling. Something called 'C' spine.
I was given a course of treatment which included an NHS physio for six weeks, and exercise regime, then 3 month's reduced costs membership of a local gym with a personal trainer. I have no idea what the cost of it was, but it can't be all that much less than an injection.
I still get bouts of back pain but it is now acute rather than chronic. So a tremendous success. I don't know how much was down to no longer being able to cycle - that's the biggest pain - but if, for any reason, I have to miss a couple of gym sessions, I tend to get back pain.
i was told that if the physio didn't work then there was a 'one off' injection that had a low success rate. I assume this was the steroid one.
Abstracts here of articles in The Lancet:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
My daughter scrounged a copy of the mag from around 2000 or so that said more or less the same thing.
A lot seems to be focused on cost, but it follows from a couple of articles in The Lancet, one of which I read a few years ago.
It says nothing new about treatment of back pain, and merely suggests that the £540 for a steroid injection should not be seen as the first option.
My experience is that it is not. I had CBP for some years, it becoming progressively worse. I found that cycling helped and would put in 200 miles a week, mainly off road. An MRI scan, which the article suggests is not required (not sure about that), showed that one cause of my back pain was cycling. Something called 'C' spine.
I was given a course of treatment which included an NHS physio for six weeks, and exercise regime, then 3 month's reduced costs membership of a local gym with a personal trainer. I have no idea what the cost of it was, but it can't be all that much less than an injection.
I still get bouts of back pain but it is now acute rather than chronic. So a tremendous success. I don't know how much was down to no longer being able to cycle - that's the biggest pain - but if, for any reason, I have to miss a couple of gym sessions, I tend to get back pain.
i was told that if the physio didn't work then there was a 'one off' injection that had a low success rate. I assume this was the steroid one.
Abstracts here of articles in The Lancet:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
My daughter scrounged a copy of the mag from around 2000 or so that said more or less the same thing.
My wife used to have an injection in her back to relieve the pain.
The last time she visited the hospital for her injection the Doctor hit more than a nerve and she had to tell him to stop due to the pain.
No more injections she takes drugs a controlled drug which helps a bit.She is disabled due to other problems and has to live with it.
I find myself when my back hurts,I go swimming it does relieve the pain for me.I had an accident when I was a five year old fell out of a window and was lucky to survive.
The last time she visited the hospital for her injection the Doctor hit more than a nerve and she had to tell him to stop due to the pain.
No more injections she takes drugs a controlled drug which helps a bit.She is disabled due to other problems and has to live with it.
I find myself when my back hurts,I go swimming it does relieve the pain for me.I had an accident when I was a five year old fell out of a window and was lucky to survive.
foppo said:
My wife used to have an injection in her back to relieve the pain.
The last time she visited the hospital for her injection the Doctor hit more than a nerve and she had to tell him to stop due to the pain.
No more injections she takes drugs a controlled drug which helps a bit.She is disabled due to other problems and has to live with it.
I find myself when my back hurts,I go swimming it does relieve the pain for me.I had an accident when I was a five year old fell out of a window and was lucky to survive.
I was thrown against a table when nearly thirty and I broke three vertebrae. There was more than a little pain at the time but it gradually wore of.The last time she visited the hospital for her injection the Doctor hit more than a nerve and she had to tell him to stop due to the pain.
No more injections she takes drugs a controlled drug which helps a bit.She is disabled due to other problems and has to live with it.
I find myself when my back hurts,I go swimming it does relieve the pain for me.I had an accident when I was a five year old fell out of a window and was lucky to survive.
I've had and X-ray and a scan of the area and doctors, four so far, have told me how lucky I was.
I was thrown across a room and I hit the only table that had been bolted to the floor. I was at an angle which meant that I hit back first. I was spinning and if I'd had a fraction, literally a fraction <0.5 second more I'd have been bruised. I don't feel lucky.
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