Every day: back pain

It has been estimated that 80% of adults have an episode of significant low back pain in their lifetime. If you think you are in that 20% that hasn’t, then you better be doing everything you can to protect your back—the odds are stacked against you.

I suppose everyone that lives long enough will have some sort of back pain. I think I’m in that 20% but I’ve had an achy back from time to time, mostly when I’ve overdone it.

I had one of those man-on-the-street encounters last week that my wife has learned to tolerate as part of being my wife of over 47 years. We were in this fellow’s place of business when he asked if I had any advice for him in dealing with his back pain.

More specifically, he asked me if there were any stretches that he could do to help his back. I have no idea how many times I’ve been asked that exact question.

It doesn’t matter what body part it is, a lot folks think that the only physical therapy strategy for dealing with their physical complaints lies in a couple of stretching exercises.

Back to this guy—he’s a super nice guy who works too much. And part of his job is lifting heavy objects from time to time. So we chatted about how his pain behaves and what he has done in the past to control it—that sort of thing. Back to him in a minute.

I get stopped a lot and usually the conversation starts with “I know you must get tired of people asking you about their complaints, but…”

As soon as I can get a word in edgewise, I assure them that I don’t mind at all. I’m flattered that anyone wants my opinion at all (except maybe about religion and politics—two things I avoid discussing) but especially about their health.

My wife long ago figured out that this was part of makes me me. I’m still doing this stuff well into my senior years (I’ve been a physical therapist for 46 years now) because I love it. And most of that is helping people. It’s also part of what makes a physical therapist a physical therapist.

Anyway, it is rarely about stretching. Sure, tight joints and muscles can be a part of the problem but that is rarely the basis of the problem. For this fellow, his biggest problem is his core strength. That’s just not something many people pay much attention to.

What happens is that our life gets in the way of regular exercise and then we help our neighbor move or stack firewood or something else that we don’t do regularly and the next thing you know--BAM!--back pain.

My first aid formula for most injuries is the same. Ice and ibuprofen. Most of the time, it pays to keep moving. Curled up in a hot tub or bedrest and doing nothing is rarely a good idea.

To know what to do next, the best thing is to consult a spinal care expert, like a physical therapist. But that option is not always available. The best advice that I can give if that’s the case is to keep moving.

To prevent it from happening, you’ve got to develop good core strength and learn good body mechanics. Plank. Bird dog. Cat and Cow. Have someone that knows what they’re doing to watch your lifting techniques.

Lift weights. Stay in shape. Lose weight if you need to. Take the stairs. Park at the outer edge of the parking lot.

Above all else, keep moving.