Is my back pain serious?
Back pain can be a frightening experience as it can be extremely painful, seemingly unexplained and prevent you from doing the things that you love or previously did with ease. For this reason, it can be easy to worry about all the scary things that could be causing it or to think that you have seriously damaged your back. As chiropractors, one of the most important parts of our job is recognising the signs of underlying disease, damage or condition which needs further investigation or management. To follow is, by no means, an exhaustive list, but an overview of common conditions for your own knowledge and information.
Some causes of back pain which we are always looking out for include:
- Cancer
- Infection in the spinal cord or it’s lining
- Stroke
- Serious injury following an accident
- Referred pain from you internal organs
- Conditions which compromise the function of the spinal cord such a cauda equina syndrome
- Other serious neurological disorders
- Structural damage such as fracture or dislocation
- Inflammatory forms of arthritis
However, the vast majority of the time, this is not the case. Research shows that less than 5% of all low back pain is due to a specific serious pathology. The other 95% is caused by nothing sinister and is often very treatable. The list of things which can cause back pain in the absence of any disease or damage would be much longer – it would need its own blog entirely!
So how do we know if your back pain might be serious?
All healthcare professionals will be looking out for certain signs which may suggest that a person needs immediate or further medical attention. These signs and symptoms are known as ‘red flags’. However, It is not as simple as recognising one sign and setting off alarm bells. A lot of the time, a red flag-type symptom can be very normal. However, this kind of thing is never black or white and often depends on many different factors. In fact, there are 163 named red flags for back pain alone. But, it really depends on context and requires the judgement of a trained professional to assess the situation fully. Back pain is highly prevalent and most people will experience back pain at some point in their lives, but remember, less than 5% of cases will be caused by anything serious.
So if you are unsure, it is important to seek advice from your chiropractor, or another healthcare professional. They will be able to make an educated judgement, explain to you what they think is going on and take appropriate action or reassure you.
What happens if we do think it is serious?
This depends on what we think might be going on. At Tivoli Chiropractic Clinic, we can refer you for a number of different investigations. We are also able to pass on all of the information we have to the next healthcare professional so that they have a good idea of what you have presented with and what we are suspicious of. Some things need immediate attention and may require you to go to A&E, however this is very rare. Most things will just require input from other healthcare professionals, such as your GP or other private practitioners. These other healthcare professionals will be able to carry out or order further medical tests that we deem appropriate. Another common route is to refer patients for imaging. This is to get a better idea of what is going on inside your body. This might include ultrasound, an x-ray or an MRI scan.
At Tivoli Chiropractic Clinic, we can refer you straight for private imaging at the Cobalt centre, a fantastic service here in Cheltenham. Beyond this, there are a wide variety of other referrals which we can consider for our patients, depending on their needs. We can ensure that our patients know how to go about getting the tests and care that they need and support them through the whole process.
Even knowing that back pain is unlikely to be serious, many will still wonder how it can hurt so much without disease or damage. This is because the spine is a very complex structure! It houses your nervous system and has a lot of its own nerves in and around its structures. This makes it very sensitive to small changes, which can cause a lot of pain.
Back pain is such a common experience, so if you are experiencing any niggles, and especially if you are worried about it, book in to see a Chiropractor. We can help you to understand what might be causing it and how to best manage it.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email me on Lottie@tivolichiropractic.co.uk
