Guidelines for the treatment of low back pain
25% of Australians suffer from low back pain!
Most cases of low back pain are called non-specific low back pain which means that the source of pain is not known. It also means that any serious causes for the low back pain have been ruled out. There are very few tests that can establish a specific diagnosis of this type of low back pain. It is also called mechanical low back pain which means that it is generally aggravated by movement.
There are guidelines for treatment of this type of low back pain.
- It is important to stay active and get back to normal activities as soon as possible.
- Anti-inflammatory medication is recommended for both acute and chronic low back pain. Paracetamol can be used if anti-inflammatory medication cause side effects or don’t appear to work. The rule is short term use at the lowest dose that gives relief.
- Physical therapies. There is evidence of effectiveness for structured exercise programs, acupuncture and spinal manipulative therapy.
Structured exercise means exercise that is preferably supervised, individually tailored and enjoyed by the patient.
Spinal manipulative therapy includes the types of treatment that is provided by an osteopath, chiropractor or physiotherapist. These practitioners are trained in manipulation of the spine and are registered health practitioners.
Acupuncture appears to have some effectiveness for the treatment of low back pain.
- Hot packs or heat wraps have some evidence to support their use. Hot packs are cheap to purchase and easy to use.
- Team care is also recommended for more severe and chronic pain that especially effects the person’s ability to work. This means that several health practitioners may be involved in therapy and rehabilitation, such as an exercise physiologist, osteopath, GP and psychologist.
Bed rest is to be avoided and x-rays are not considered necessary unless the low back pain does not go away with treatment.
Guidelines for prevention of low back pain includes:
- Staying physically active. This has the most evidence for effectiveness.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Stress management so that life and work is enjoyable.
- Using the back wisely such as safe lifting and work posture.
- https://www.racgp.org.au/download/Documents/AFP/2014/March/201403hancock.pdf
- Clinical guidelines for low back pain: A critical review of consensus… (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317507418_Clinical_guidelines_for_low_back_pain_A_critical_review_of_consensus_and_inconsistencies_across_three_major_guidelines [accessed Jun 04 2018].
- https://www.nps.org.au/australian…/articles/managing-low-back-pain-in-primary-care