Back pain & sciatica

Direct costs associated with back pain were estimated to be around £1.6bn in the United Kingdom in 1981. In 1955 there were 8 million working days lost to back pain. By 1991 this figure had risen to 81 million!In 1998 back pain was estimated to be responsible for close to 120 million UK work days lost per year.

So, if you suffer from back pain, you are not alone. You will be reassured to read the following about low back pain:

Back pain can be generally divided into:

• Simple back pain – which includes facet joint (small joints that connect spinal vertebrae) pain, muscle sprain/strain and ligament strain.

• Nerve root pain – usually caused by disc damage or acute facet pain. (rare)

Less than 5% is due to true nerve root pain

15 – 40% of low back pain is caused by facet joint pain

Over 90% of back pain is mechanical in origin and can be treated by a chiropractor. Your chiropractor will use various treatment protocols to treat your back pain. These include manipulation/adjustment, myofascial (muscles) therapies and medical acupuncture.

How many treatments will I need?

Depending on the nature of the problem, the number of treatments varies. Most mechanical back problems respond favourably in 9-12 treatments. Some patients take more and some take less. This is often dependent on patient compliance with home exercises and ergonomic advice.