There is nothing worse than experiencing back pain in Singapore. While your back pain should improve rapidly, some individuals may find it worsens with time and care. If this is the case, there is a high possibility that some of your treatment methods are exacerbating your pain. We’ve compiled a list of the most significant errors you may be making.
1. Avoiding a medical diagnosis.
The cause of sudden back pain may be evident, but chronic pain frequently stems from less apparent causes. Chronic pain lasts longer than three months, and proper diagnosis is essential. Finding the cause is essential because it may be a treatable condition, and nerve-based pain must be treated differently than muscular pain. Additionally, earlier treatment is preferable.
Imagine pain as water flowing down a cliff; over time, the water carves a furrow in the rock, and this is what happens to your nerves when you experience chronic pain. The longer the pain persists, the more readily you experience it and the more you must do to manage it.
2. Attempting ineffectual therapies for an extended period.
When you seek professional assistance to treat your pain, you must experience consistent improvement. Discuss with your team how you anticipate progressing and when you anticipate certain events to occur. You must consider other options if you are merely adrift and nothing changes.
However, this does not imply relying solely on fast fixes. When treating a chronic pain condition, it can take up to a year to notice a significant improvement because you must alter how your body responds to pain.
3. Performing too many tasks on a “good day”
Doing too much is the most common error individuals make. If you are experiencing a pain-free day, it is alluring to attempt to make up for all the other days but resist the urge. Pace yourself to complete 80% of what you believe you can, and attempt to extend that by 10% each time.
4. Insisting on an MRI.
Your primary care physician cannot refer you to an MRI for routine back pain under bulk-billing, so having one will cost you money.
Second, it may not explain the situation anyway. An MRI is useful for obtaining a picture of what is happening in the back and joints, but any harm it reveals may be due to degenerative changes and not the actual cause of your discomfort. Another issue is that once you are aware of these changes, you may alter how you move, act, or think about discomfort in problematic ways. Due to the ‘false alarm’ findings, those who had an early MRI had a diminished sense of well-being and higher costs.
5. Applying heat to a fresh wound.
This can exacerbate pain and inflammation by increasing blood flow to the affected area. In general, if an injury is warm to the contact, ice should be applied. If it is chilly, apply heat. Do not apply either for more than twenty minutes. Also, never directly apply cold to the skin. Always utilise a cloth to prevent icy burns.