Back Pain Beat... Naturally

Physiotherapist David Rogers tells Anna Moore about his revolutionary new approach, which resolves persistent back pain without surgery or drugs

- Anna Moore

David Rogers, who has over 20 years’ experience, is currently involved in large research trials relating to back pain, and is based at Birmingham’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in the UK.

Whether it’s an agonising short, sharp shock or a dull, nagging discomfort, most of us have suffered the misery of back pain at some point. Our natural response is to reach for painkillers, but the latest research – including a 2016 Australian review of 35 trials involving more than 6 000 people – has concluded that, for most of us, these won’t work. Instead, the way to a pain-free and strong back is old-fashioned stretches and exercises.

Sounds counter-intuitive when you’re in agony? David says there are rare cases where lower-back pain can be a symptom of disease or infection – like rheumatoid arthritis, TB, or even cancer – so check our Red Flags box (right) first but, for most of us, movement is the way to a cure.

CAN IT BE DIAGNOSED?

Although persistent lower-back pain is one of the most common reasons to see a doctor, about 85% of us leave with no diagnosis – the pain, stiffness and flare-ups are vaguely termed ‘non-specific’ or ‘musculoskeletal’.

It also can’t be put down to simple ‘wear and tear’, as research into MRI scans shows that wear and tear is just as common in people who don’t have back pain. The root cause then, says David, is not all down to discs, bones, bad posture and heavy lifting. A simple guide is: when back pain lasts longer than three months, it’s unlikely to be caused by a structural problem, or a failure to heal after an injury. Rather, he adds, it’s caused by subtle changes in our nervous system, how we have responded to the pain – and whether we have shut down or kept moving...

THE VICIOUS CYCLE