The Tasmanian Health Organisation South has put out one of the best low back pain pamphlets that I ever seen. It is very simple without any fancy graphics but their message is spot-on. A copy of the pamphlet can be found here. What I like about this information is that it is re-assuring and accurate in a simple straight-forward way and doesn’t terrorize us with possible pathologies.
Some of the key point are
• The back is strong and designed to move.
• Serious or permanent damage is rare.
• Hurt does not mean harm or damage.
• Most back pain settles with time.
• There are lots of things you can do to help.
• Maintaining and gradually increasing your daily activity and fitness can help you recover soon
All of this can be stated in a couple of sentences. Our backs are strong and rarely get damaged seriously, even if they do occasionally hurt. Most back pain decreases over time. Exercise and maintaining daily activities is one of the many things you can do to recover sooner.
What a great message!!
