{"id":1737,"date":"2017-03-06T15:29:23","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T23:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/?p=1737"},"modified":"2019-11-07T23:36:46","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T07:36:46","slug":"guidelines-for-low-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/guidelines-for-low-back-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"The latest guidelines for treating low back pain may surprise you"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re one of the millions of Americans who suffer from some type of low back pain, you may have noticed recent news stories about how guidelines for treating this common condition are changing pretty dramatically. <\/span><\/p>\n

Medical experts are now recommending a much more conservative approach to caring for low back pain. They explain that for most people the pain goes away on its own and doesn\u2019t require drugs or other more invasive treatments.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>recent New York Times story<\/a>, Dr. Rick Deyo, a spine researcher and professor at the Oregon Health and Science University, compares low back pain to the common cold. \u201cIt is very common and very annoying when it happens. But most of the time it will not result in anything major or serious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This and other research confirms that walking around the block, rather than driving to the doctor\u2019s office, might be the best approach for some types of pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the research, here are three tips for back pain:<\/h2>\n

1. When your back hurts, don\u2019t immediately reach for a pill<\/strong><\/p>\n

The <\/span>American College of Physicians just published updated guidelines<\/a> for treating low back pain that has lasted four weeks or less. While, in the past, your doctor may have written a prescription for a pain medication like Vicodin, Percocet, or Tylenol with codeine, doctors are now urged to avoid prescribing potentially addictive drugs and to recommend other types of treatment first. This may include heat, exercise, and physical therapy. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Healthy activity is the best medicine<\/strong><\/p>\n

While you may feel like crawling into bed when your back hurts, it can actually slow the healing process and even make things worse. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our body needs movement and activity to stay healthy. So, for our bones and muscles, activity is typically better than sitting still when it comes to healing. In fact, clinical studies of people with back pain show that those who stayed active had a better ability to function and recover faster.<\/span>1<\/span><\/p>\n

Try to maintain your everyday routine as much as possible. Include stretching, walking, and other low-impact exercises to keep the healing process on track. Consider seeing a physical therapist who can recommend exercises that are designed to relieve your specific type of pain and keep it from coming back.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. An MRI isn\u2019t always a solution for pain<\/strong><\/p>\n

MRIs (and other types of imaging) are useful tools when the source of back pain is due to an underlying health cause, like a tumor or infection, or when there is an injury to the spine itself, such as a fracture. <\/span><\/p>\n

But often, imaging doesn\u2019t pinpoint underlying causes, and the findings may not be the actual cause of back pain. In fact, most adults have some type of harmless back abnormality that, when exposed during imaging, can lead to unnecessary procedures.<\/span>2<\/span><\/p>\n

A summary of the new guidelines<\/b><\/h2>\n

For pain that has lasted less than 12 weeks:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n