It is said that, almost all lower back pain will heal itself over time and is not serious enough to require a a surgical process. Of course, a surgical process for lower back pain and discomfort is not straightforward and doesn’t give any guarantees that it will work for you either. The article went on to say that if an MRI was utilized to scan 100 backs of healthy individuals, about 20% will no doubt show a false positive to their health care professional.
This is concerning and research points out that, according to data they have learned, that for each additional MRI scanner in an area, neighborhood, etc you see an increase of about 1 in 40 adults with lower back pain undergoing an MRI scan for their lower back that is unnecessary.
In essence, this may not seem like a large-scale number but it essentially is in consideration of the fact that this increase is per additional MRI scanner in an area, neighborhood, etc. That is, because there is such a close connection between these MRI scans, false positives, and when all is said and done an unnecessary surgical process where it might not have happened in a less MRI scanner dense area, neighborhood, etc.
Generally, when people suffer from back pain, the first thing that they do after stretching is work on strengthening their back muscles. Though this is important, many people spend months working on strengthening the muscles in their backs, only to find that the relief that they experience is minimal. This is because in many cases, back pain is derived from weak abdominal muscles. This baffles many people, but it makes sense if you stop and think about it. All muscles work in pairs. For example, your biceps work with your triceps. One could not perform properly without the help of the other. Your back muscles and abdominal muscles work the same way. If your pain does not adequately respond to strengthening your back muscles, start adding abdominal exercises into your routine.
So why is this interrelationship between these MRI scans, false positives, and an unneeded surgical processes presenting itself?
It’s essentially incredibly uncomplicated to see why now I think. Miserably, this appears all too often in the medical field or when we can’t produce the desired results we are looking for. We start going from one doctor and/or treatment to the next in an ongoing spiral, out of control oftentimes.
After that when we realize we have been unfruitful we become desperate to find a resolution for the issue. In the end, we meet with a physician who listens and cares about assisting you with your lower back pain and will exhaust every option available. Certainly, if your physician has higher than average access to MRI devices he is much more likely to order an MRI scan of your lower back. When you fall into the 20% of those with a healthy back that looks like there can be a condition, you and your health care professional now have solid information from the MRI machine that something is indeed wrong with your lower back and that surgery may be the best resolution to cure your lower back discomfort when this is not actually appropriate.
Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.
