Doctors & Your Back

Firstly let's get one thing clear - I am not a doctor. (Consult our Disclaimer to understand how you should regard and use the material on this site.)

I have however consulted with several doctors and back specialists over a period of more than 18 years about my sciatica and backpain. The conclusions are clear.

1.  Your spine is a very complex structure which means:

• The causes of sciatica and back pain are often not obvious to an ordinary doctor, even with the benefit of X-rays (unless you have incurred an obvious, recent injury).
• Even back specialists are sometimes unable to pinpoint the precise causes of back pain (and I know this from specific experience).

2.  Independent of injuries and accidents, as you age your back is at risk of general degeneration and loss of tone in the muscles and disks that support the spine. When this happens, it gives you a higher risk of dysfunction such as compressed nerves, that can cause sciatica and other back and leg pain.

3.  Because back pain is more prevalent as you age, it is important to develop your understanding of how the back works and how you can strengthen it to reduce the likelihood of injury with the right exercises.

A General Prescription for Back Health & Wellness

Your best defense against sciatica and back pain is to:

1. Eat a reasonable diet,  especially fresh wholesome foods and not processed junk
2. Decrease your body weight.
3. Exercise regularly.

To keep your back healthy, develop and follow an exercise plan of 30 minutes or so three to four times a week, including morning stretches and frequent breaks while doing activities - this includes sitting at a desk or driving.

Remember, about 80% of the time, back pain and sciatica heals by itself. The questions to ask yourself are:

1. What can I do to recover normal back function more quickly?
2. What can I do to stop back pain/sciatica recurring?

Working With Doctors & Back Specialists

The recommendation is that you get a doctor's opinion when you experience back pain or sciatica. especially if it is new for you and/or you think you may have injured yourself. Bear in mind the comments both above and below though.

Remember, you are likely to get the best long term outcome by paying attention to your overall wellness, exercising and strengthening your back, rather than going to get it fixed when it's broken. 

Also, learn to ask questions about what your doctor tells you and what they prescribe you.

• What is the root cause of your problem (treat this not the symptom)?
• Why do you need a suggested drug?
• What is it doing?
• What are the claimed benefits?
• How long will you need to take it for?
• What are the side effects?
• What are the alternatives?

Drugs and Surgery?

I speak against mainstream "healthcare" here, which I think is really more accurately described as "sickness care".

My suggestion is to minimise your use of prescription drugs and to stay away from surgery for as long as you can. See the comments on surgery here

Read again the 3 things in the "General Prescription" above.

Pay attention to those and you will give your body and back a much better chance of wellness than filling it full of pharmaceuticals.

Aging

Disc degeneration will happen to almost everyone as we age, It is worth emphasizing the importance of exercise in battling aging and the disease of osteoporosis.

Weight-bearing exercise, like walking can help. If you have a history, or are older than 55, it is worth knowing your risk of developing osteoporosis by getting a bone density test.

Treatment for osteoporosis is available and is constantly being improved. Doctors recommend doing low-impact exercise, limiting your risk of falling, taking calcium and vitamin D.