Back Pain Myths Uncovered

Back pain myths… fact or fiction…

sometimes it is hard to decide what is true and what is false.

Before trying to decide what are back pain truths and what are back pain myths, it is important to better understand back pain itself and its many causes. There are so many old wives tales and silly assumptions that many people don’t truly understand what the problem with their back is became of the nonsense they hear about back pain and its causes. At some point sorting out the myths of back pain reality can be very helpful to the back pain sufferer.

For example, you might have heard that lifting heavy things will cause back pain. This simply is not true. Lifting anything, heavy or not, the correct way, using the proper body mechanics and proper assistive devices will not hurt your back. Second, if lifting something does indeed cause back pain then it is likely that the underlying cause was already there just waiting for one more thing to happen before true back pain set in.

Do not let anyone tell you that if your back hurts you should go to bed and stay there until it feels better.

This back pain myth is completely wrong.

While a few days of decreased activity and some bed rest is good for a sore back complete bed rest does not heal. It actually hinders healing because the back needs activity, though not excessively so, to heal correctly. Light stretching and walking are good places to start to heal a back injury. Otherwise a person’s mobility and flexibility will be affected.

Most back pain starts with an injury typically resulting in acute back pain and although injuries can certainly be responsible for back pain more often than not back pain originates with those who do not do enough physical exercise. For example people with office jobs that do little more than sit at a desk all day may be more predisposed to back pain.

Other back pain myths include back pain ultimately leads to disability; back pain requires lengthy treatment to get any relief; most back pain requires surgery to find relief and even favorite activities must be avoided in order to find relief from back pain.

At some time in their lives most Americans will suffer from back pain. This is not a back pain myth, it is very true! Caring for your back by engaging in gentle stretching and basic common sense is a good place to start.

See Also:

Myths And Back Pain