Mike experienced 3 long weeks of intense low back pain. We appreciate his wife's referral--the path he was headed down was concerning.
He had visited his internist after just a few days of pain. The X-rays taken showed only mild amounts of degeneration, and he was prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine & told to stop golfing and rest in bed for a week. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this continues to be a typical response, and it flies directly counter to current research & evidence.
X-rays are medically necessary in less than 5% of simple low back pain cases (even below 3% in most studies). Most low back pain is not caused by inflammation--so an extra prescription with small but measurable serious side effects seems unwarranted. Bed rest has been proven many times over to be an unhelpful and potentially harming answer to low back pain.
After three weeks of pain, Mike visited us at Tri-Synergy. We diagnosed Mike with irritation in two specific small muscles in his low back, which was leading to a protection response by his brain. As a painful cycle, his whole lower back was tight trying to protect two of the smallest muscles. We were able to correct it using light therapy to draw blood flow to the muscles followed by gentle, specific soft-tissue treatments to calm the muscles down. After 2 visits, he was back on the golf course, and his case was completely wrapped up by the 3rd visit.
Why do some medical providers still consider anti-inflammatories, bed rest, & restricting activity 'front-line treatment' options even though it is contrary to research? Why are so many patients told to stop moving when that might have been the best medicine? Why are patients offered what happens to be easiest for the insurance system--instead of what would be best for their body?
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