Nothing Seems To Get Rid Of My Nagging Back Pain. What Now?
by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS and Steve Hefferon, CMT

Tired of struggling and need relief from back pain? You are not alone… millions and millions of people suffer from back all over the world and nearly all of them are like you, looking for something that works… back pain relief!

I’m just guessing, but here’s what your experience with back pain has probably been like:

You probably went to your family doctor first, or a chiropractor. Your visit likely only lasted 15 minutes or so… they poked around and confirmed that you do have back pain and gave you a prescription for the pain. Now before we go any further, let me ask you this: how in the heck is a prescription drug going to fix a physical problem like back pain? Doctor visits, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, new mattress, rub on creams, and the list goes on… I’m sure you’ve tried several or maybe even many on that list yet you’re back still hurts…. Why aren’t any of the experts helping or treatments working? The answer is simple…

It’s all in the approach… most, if not all, of the treatments people receive for back pain are flawed from the start. I’m not going to cover each of them in detail in this article, however, if you would like to learn more about traditional treatments for back pain and why they don’t work, I suggest you read my article on the subject here.

You and I already know that those treatments just don’t work, so I want to give you some information that you can use to take control of your own health and well being and find “the” treatment that will finally get rid of your back pain once and for all.

It has been my experience that trying to convince somebody of something they are unfamiliar with is just about impossible…. so instead of me telling you what to do, I want to give you the tools for you to do it yourself.

Step one: First, you must understand that pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong… don’t ignore it! And in order to fix it or get rid of it, you must first know what’s causing it.

Step two: Be open-minded... in order to find a solution you’ll need to be willing to learn… and please don’t be afraid to look for and/or ask for help.

There are thousands of sources of information in the world on upper back pain, lower back pain and back pain in general, but if you don’t know how to sort through all that information it will be useless to you.

Step three: Take action now… you’re going to do it, and with my help! You do not have to live with low back pain, upper back pain, sciatic pain, or any back pain for that matter and you can feel great again.

You have two options:

1. Leave it up to your doctor or chiropractor and hope it gets taken care of…
2. You can take control of your back care yourself and ensure it gets taken care of

I don’t know about you, but it’s a no brainer for me!

But, I know you may be feeling like there’s NO solution and maybe you’ve even resigned yourself to the fact that you’ll have back pain for the rest of your life… I hope that’s not the case because you do have the power and ability to eliminate it.

If you choose option one, leaving your back health in the hands of someone other than yourself, at least educate yourself enough to know what questions you need to be asking.

The next time you go to the doctor or chiropractor, bring a pen and paper along with the list of questions below:

1. What is the cause of the pain? (Not the symptom, but the actual cause)
2. Is it muscular or structural? (involving the bones of the spine)
3. If it’s muscular have the doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, etc name exactly which muscles and other muscles that may be involved.
4. Do I need an X-ray, CT-scan or MRI?
5. Did I have a predisposition for the injury based on my life style and daily postures?
6. Do I have muscle imbalances that created this condition over time?
7. Will I have muscle imbalances still after your treatment?
8. Will it heal 100%?
9. Are there specific exercises or stretches to do for my condition?
10. Which muscles should I stretch and which muscles should I strengthen?
11. Will I do more harm than good if I don’t do the right activities?
12. Will the physical therapist you are sending me to have the time to spend one on one with me to effectively work with me?
13. Will Ultra Sound and Electrical Stimulation correct my muscle imbalances?

I could go on and on with questions like these that you should ask your doctor, but we both know that you won’t… because you don’t want to piss off the doctor and then worry that you’ll get bad care next time.

So did I just waste my time and yours by listing them out. Heck no, these are great questions to use when trying to find a treatment approach that will work for you.

We already know what doesn’t work and why, let’s talk now about what does work. In order for any back care program or approach to be successful, it must include the following criteria:

• Identify the root cause of the problem
• Treat both the symptom and the cause
• Focus on the body as a whole and not zoom in on only the problem area
• Physical problems can only be treated and corrected with a physical approach
• Address muscle imbalances with targeted strength, flexibility, and muscle work
• Be easy to understand, implement, and progress
• Help you maintain a healthy back and prevent future occurrences

So how can you find a back care program that not only meets all these criteria, but is proven to work far better than traditional treatments?

Just do a little research… you can use the internet to find all sorts of information and resources on back pain, but remember, it must meet the criteria we outlined above our it’s guaranteed to fail!

Don’t give up, it’s out there, if you take the time to look you’ll find it…maybe right under your nose!