Is Imaging Helping or Hurting Your Low Back Pain?

Low back pain is an extremely common problem that over 75% of the population will experience at some point in their lives. If that does not make your day better, how does it make you feel to know that around 60% of people that don’t even have low back pain still have some sort of abnormality such as a bulging disc. Now I am not writing this blog to try and scare everyone into thinking they are doomed to a life of back pain and disability. This post is all about showing you that, contrary to popular belief, most of the time a “slipped” or better defined a bulging disc is not a death sentence for a lifetime of pain and also that having medical imaging done when it’s not necessary may actually cause more harm than help. Let’s first talk about how we need to stop blaming the discs in our low backs for all our pain. There certainly are times when the disc tears through its protective space and irritates nerves however, this is not as common as many people think. Many people are told they have a bulging disc and immediately start thinking of all the people around them that have had the same diagnosis and how it seems like they have low back pain forever. The good news is that according to the research a large amount of the population has a bulging disc without any low back pain meaning that you will be able to live your life without pain even if you have this bulging disc for the rest of your life. For individuals one of the biggest correlations with the development of chronic low back pain is about their thoughts towards their back pain. This is why it’s important for us all to understand that the abnormality you may see on a medical image is not always a life sentence of pain and disability. It’s crucial to know that much of the population have a similar abnormality with no symptoms which is great for helping people understand that they can get back to having no low back pain as long as they work for it. Helping people maintain a positive outlook on their back pain is one of the most important things that a physical therapist can do to help people relieve their back pain and help prevent it from becoming chronic. If you suffer from chronic back pain and have been told it’s a “slipped” or bulging disc be sure to talk to your physical therapist about how positive thinking about your back pain can help reduce your chances of having chronic pain and get you back to your daily living. Knowing that back pain has a lot to do with the thoughts a person has towards their back pain and that so many people have an abnormality with their discs in their back it’s important for us to use imaging wisely. Everyone has had the experience where they are going about their day with no problems and then you look at your finger, realize you have a papercut and then your entire day your finger stings and hurts because of that tiny papercut. In a similar way if you get imaging done and don’t have really bad back pain and then you see these slipped discs you are more likely to have fear of hurting your back more and be more aware of pain. This is why it’s so important that people need to delay getting any imaging done unless there is a concern for a more serious condition in the low back. Physical therapists play a crucial role in recognizing the signs that may indicate a need for imaging to be done. Physical therapists are able to diagnose most causes of low back pain without the need for imaging and treat it in a more conservative way. Another reason why people should consider their physical therapist first before going to the Emergency Department or urgent care for their back pain. If people go to their physical therapist first they are more likely to be treated in a more conservative way without having the panic of seeing some abnormalities that are more than likely to show up on their imaging. This not only decreases the risk of unnecessary fear from imaging, but also reduces costs to the health care system significantly. It’s time that we stop blaming all low back pain on bulging discs and start recognizing the value of physical therapists in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating low back pain. If you have any concerns about your low back pain call your physical therapist and find out more about the important role physical therapy can play in restoring your daily function.