Why You Absolutely Must Take Lower Back Pain Seriously

As a physiotherapist, I see people everyday with varying ailments one of the most common of which, is lower back pain.

If you’re like most people, you probably try a few remedies yourself to alleviate lower back pain before seeking out professional, expert help - but here is why next time you have an aching back, you might want to seek help sooner.

The hidden dangers of lower back pain

When somebody comes to our practice, we perform what we call a triage approach to back pain. A triage approach means that we actually first try and identify people who have got far more serious issues, before commencing any physio treatment.

We call these issues red flags.

Red flags are back conditions that warrant serious medical attention. Usually red flag conditions account for a very small percentage of presented cases and depending on who you talk to, appear in 2 to 5% of people with lower back pain.

Even though only a very small number of people present with “red flags”. It is vitally important that you make sure whoever you see, that they screen you for potential serious health issues before beginning treatment.

It could be a sign of something deadly

Some of the main culprits causing these serious health issues include:

• Cancers
• Tumours
• Inflammatory diseases
• Infections,
• Osteoporosis (where bones have become brittle and fractured)

All of which are what we deem red flags.

The most serious issue is where the spinal cord, which is vitally important for controlling areas of the body such as your legs and your bowels, gets compressed right at its tail, called Cauda Equina Syndrome, a serious issue which anybody taking a detailed history and thorough examination will be able to pick up.

When assessed correctly we will have enough information to be able to recommend patients presenting with red flags go immediately to their doctor or in some cases immediately to hospital.

Why you must take action

One patient who recently presented red flag symptoms that comes to mind, I saw just this week.

Sadly, we found out that he had a massive spinal cord tumour. He had lost a lot of weight, he had significant wasting in his legs and he looked grey and generally unwell when he came in.

As soon as we began asking the important questions (which is why physiotherapists require very thorough history, ask a lot of questions and perform a very thorough examination), it became clear that he was certainly very quickly expressing a much more serious problem.

At this stage, I did not know it was a tumour; I thought it was probably more likely a serious prolapse, but I was concerned enough to send the patient off to his doctor to have a scan, and sadly the scan revealed a massive tumour.

Thankfully I have since heard from the neurosurgeon that if he had not been referred within two weeks, he would have died from this tumor.

Listen to your body

Be aware that the above case is rare, but it highlights the importance of speaking to somebody who has the confidence, experience and the knowledge to pick up these more serious nasties quickly, because if left untreated, these extreme red flag issues can result in ill health, serious injury or even death.

So the next time you experience lower back pain, you need to be thorough and that is absolutely critical.

If you have been experiencing persistent pain anywhere in your body, it’s telling you something and you should seek a professional immediately. If left untreated, minor issues can turn into major problems.

 

James Schomburgk - Physiotherapist and Director, Back In Motion Campbelltown, Valley View and Mount Barker