A simple therapeutic regime for subacute back pain
Indahl, A.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 119(13): 1906-1908
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 10382339 Document Number: 508183
Low back pain seems to be an intrinsic factor in most people's lives. Its cause is still largely unknown. Several structures have been suggested as important pain generators, but proof is still largely lacking. The prognosis is generally regarded as good, but in some patients acute low back pain progresses into a chronic disorder. Some suggest that our way of handling the problem might be partly responsible for the increase in chronic low back pain during the last forty years. Rather than structural derangement, a functional disturbance in the complex reflex system that coordiantes the network of paraspinal muscles could be the background for the impairment. A guarded behaviour and fear can increase the muscular dysfunction and make the situation worse. A simple regime for an effective fear-avoidance and activation program is outlined. The approach includes a clinical examination combined with information for patients about the nature of the problem, provided in a manner designed to reduce fear and give them reason to resume light normal activity.