Have you ever been told that x-ray findings like a bulging or herniated disc are solely to blame for your back pain? It's time to rewrite that narrative. While those bulges or herniations might grab your attention, they aren't the main driver of your problem. Let's delve into the fascinating world of back pain, where things aren't always as straightforward as they seem.
Decoding Scans and Pain: Understanding Scan Signals
Scans like x-rays, CT scans and MRIs can be both informative and misleading. Disc abnormalities revealed on your scan results shouldn't automatically be assumed as the cause of your back pain. Many people, even those without a history of back problems, show these irregularities on MRI and x-rays. It's a reminder that what appears on the scan doesn't always tell the whole story of your back pain.
But if you don’t know, or no one has ever explained to you that your scan result is only part of the story, it’s easy to get sucked in by a scary looking x-ray report. For instance, if scans make you believe your disc is the root of the problem, it's natural to think that any back pain means the disc is getting squeezed or damaged. But this is unhelpful because it leaves you with a very disc-centric view of your back problem that will make it difficult to engage in helpful treatment.
Revealing the True Culprits of Persistent Pain: Moving Beyond the Initial Trigger
Even if we knew for sure that your back pain started with a disc injury, it's crucial to understand that the disc is never the sole troublemaker. Once pain is on the scene, regardless of which structure initially got hurt, the way we move and behave changes. We consciously change our actions or avoid certain activities, and our instincts kick in to protect us. And these changes in movement behaviours affect our pain.
The Dance of Pain and Movement: Breaking the Cycle
The way we move influences our pain, with our protective movements paving the way for more pain, and the pain setting the stage for more protective behavior. This cycle is able to persist independently of whatever structure, like a disc, might have initially triggered your back pain. It's common for people to endure pain for years, well beyond the time their initial injury healed, because they never found a way to break free from the cycle of unhelpful guarding and pain.
Breaking Free from the Cycle: Liberating Yourself from Pain's Grasp
It's time to break free from the cycle. Recognising that the cause of back pain isn't always a straightforward issue with your spinal discs is the first step. An approach that considers how we move and factors beyond the disc issue is the way forward. If we can identify and minimise unhelpful movement behaviours, we can go a long way towards resolving your back problem.