Many of THESE operations are NOT necessary...
Published: Mon, 08/26/13
Most people with back pain are getting unnecessary treatment.
Yesterday, I was reading an article in USA Today which was
very disappointing, frustrating and disheartening.
It stated that physicians are giving patients more drugs, ordering
expensive tests and referring them onto other doctors compared to
giving them quick, effective and safe back pain relief.
+Addictive Drug Use is on the Rise - Ibuprofen and aspirin use
have decreased from 37% in 1999 to 24.5% in 2010, while narcotic drug use has increased from 19% in 1999 to 29% in 2010.
(Yay, more expensive and damaging medication.)
+Long Waits for Expensive Tests - The use of tests have increased
from 7% to 11%. (More appointments, time away from work, more waiting and more money spent)
+More Doctor Appointments - Referrals from physicians have gone
from 7% in 1999 to 14% in 2010. (Just more opinions, diagnoses and less action and fixing.)
This is all very sad news.
Why?
They explain the reason for these increases is because doctors are
under pressing to have answers for the back pain and it is easier to
give the patient drugs, send them to another appoint or do a test, give
them to another appointment, then to explain why these are ineffective.
Oh ya, the article was from July 29, 2013 (29 days ago).
What About Surgery?
In a study in 2011, a journal reported that of 274 patients that were
told they need surgery, 17% had no tests demonstrated that they need it.
(ouch!)
Plus Consumer Report had something to say about back surgery in 2005
"Since the 1980s, operations for low-back pain have increased from about
190,000 to more than 300,000 per year. Many of those operations are
probably unnecessary."
This is not good news.
What about Back Injection?
In the New York Times, on July 18, 2013, they reported that injections are
on the rise but they do not increase the likelihood of long term back pain
relief and do not decrease your likelihood of back surgery.
Ugh.
What to do About Back Pain?
The answer is reshaping your back from the the inside, reshaping your back
from the outside and then layering on injury specific exercises.
The specific on how to do this, Injury Specialist Rick Kaselj and I will show
you tomorrow when we tell you more about the new Fix My Back Pain.
Get back to training hard,
Mike Westerdal
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